The Assassin with the Heart of Gold
by Melissa McEagle
Summary: It's been eight years since Shiota Nagisa last stepped foot in Japan. But when his job as an assassin brings him back to his home country, everything is not as it seems. When the job goes awry, can Class E reunite in time to save him?
1. The Assassin

**The Assassin with a Heart of Gold**

 **A/N: This fic was written assuming a canon where Class 3-E ends up killing Koro-sensei at the end of the school year. Regardless of what ends up happening in the manga canon, this fic is assuming that Koro-sensei dies by their hands.**

 **Pairings: Akabane Karma/Shiota Nagisa, Maehara Hiroto/Isogai Yuuma, Karasuma Tadaomi/Irina Jelavic, Chiba Ryunosuke/Hayami Rinka, Hara Sumire/Yoshida Taisei**

 **Chapter One - The Target**

Shiota Nagisa decided he was going to miss Vancouver. The weather wasn't bad, his apartment was small but livable, and the people were friendly. This city was definitely in his top five.

He couldn't stay. He knew that much. His work in this city was done and it was time for him to move on. It would do him no good to get attached to a city he may never see again outside of an airport.

Nagisa savored the smell of fresh coffee and the sound of light chatter in his favorite café. They had some great drinks and even better Danishes. If he was lucky, maybe his next location would have a good café right next to his apartment as well. He snorted. As if. His boss would probably tell him that he had softened up staying here and that it was about damn time he returned to a third world country.

"Sir, your coffee," a waitress said as she placed the cup in front of him.

"Thank you, Jennifer," he said gratefully. The girl smiled and tucked the serving tray under her arm.

"Anything else?"

"This will be it for now. I do have a guest arriving soon, if you could just direct him here if he can't find me." As unlikely as that situation would be. His boss probably already knew exactly where he was. He wasn't the type to take direction. He would find his way here when he wanted to.

"Certainly," she said as she walked away. Nagisa sipped on the cup, enjoying the drink's heat and bitterness. It was hard to believe that he had been in this city for only three months. Nagisa pulled out a tablet from his bag, unlocking it with a code and his thumbprint. He let himself smile as he saw the top headline.

 **CEO and Founder of The International Children's Institute found dead in home**

Nagisa didn't even bother opening the article. After a while, they all read the same. A loving father, philanthropist, suspected suicide, blah blah blah. The real interesting details about his personal life and his foundation wouldn't come out for another couple of weeks. The human trafficking investigation, if properly done, was sure to shut down the non-profit for good.

"Mr. Matsunaga?" a familiar voice said. Nagisa looked up and smiled. He gestured towards the empty chair across from him.

"Lovro, it's nice to see you again. How've you been?" He didn't even blink.

"I have your next job here." Straight to the point, as always. He was so predictable. Never any time for pleasantries and small talk. Nagisa set down his coffee cup.

"Where will I be heading next?"

"Tokyo." Nagisa's eyebrows shot up. _Tokyo?_ It had been a long time since he had been back to his home country. It wasn't long after his high school graduation that Lovro took him into his "care" (if you could call it that).

"Tokyo?" he questioned.

"You were specifically requested. I vetted it and it's legitimate. It's got a fat paycheck." Lovro slipped him the manila folder. Nagisa flipped it open and his jaw dropped.

"What is this? Who put in this request?"

"I don't disclose that, Nagisa."

"You also don't give orders to people who have a connection with the target," he said coldly.

"I would not have given you this order if I didn't think you could do it. My reputation is on the line just as much as yours." He gritted his teeth. This was ridiculous. "Can you do it, Nagisa?" He dutifully ignored the picture on the front and instead focused on the crimes. Hundreds of claims of corruption, abuse, and fund laundering. This man had his hand in hundreds upon hundreds of illegal operations.

"I can do it," he said firmly, his voice hard.

"Very well. I will see you next when you complete the job. The money from your last job has already been wired to your account." Lovro turned and left, leaving Nagisa there with a rapidly cooling cup of coffee and a million thoughts running through his head.

Nagisa spent the next three hours thoroughly reading through the thick file that Lovro had given him. His target was high up in the Japanese government, despite his young age. It told him of back-end deals, convenient deaths, blackmail and sabotage. It seemed as though his target had hired his own fair share of assassins in the past. There were loose connections to various illegal groups, including Yakuza, the Triad, and the Russian mob. Nagisa shivered as he read one particular name: _Die Schwartz Schweine_. Nagisa could distinctly remember his own dealings with them.

 _Nagisa stood on the roof of the club entitled La Mariquita. He could feel the loud bass of music rocking the whole club, and the sounds of young adults (not much younger than him) celebrating their youth. His eyes scanned the crowds exiting and leaving the club, looking for a particular face. Anyone who didn't know this club would just take it at face value. However, Nagisa was not one of those people. He knew that this club was simply a front for the Mexican operations of the German-based Schwartz Schweine._

 _A contractor, who may or may not be the Mexican government itself, had ordered the assassinations of key players in this organization. It would not kill their operations entirely, but it would at least slow them, allowing for the government to then step in._

 _A tall man stepping outside of the club with a woman on each arm caught his attention. His dark brown hair wasn't remarkable, but the striking tattoo on his neck certainly was. Nagisa quickly pulled out his binoculars. A black pig. Bingo. He scowled as he pulled out his sniper rifle. He was a decent shot, but he didn't want to risk harming the women. He would have to rely on a physical hit-and-run tactic. He holstered the gun, instead opting for a knife._

 _The man was approaching his car, unknowingly distancing himself from any crowds that he could use to grab attention. Nagisa observed as the two women began to struggle. He gritted his teeth, he needed to wait. The moment wasn't here yet. He had to wait for_ _ **the**_ _moment. One of the women screamed. Nagisa's grip tightened. Not yet. He watched the man lean in close and place a wet kiss on the other woman who slapped him. He roughly grabbed her._ _ **Now.**_

 _Nagisa launched himself from the rooftop, startling a particularly drunk couple who had come out to enjoy each other's company. He had hundreds of hours of physical training to thank for his skills. He swiped at the man's throat just as he pulled one of the women towards him. The knife hit a solid surface._

 _Nagisa was briefly stunned as he realized that his assassination attempt had failed. The man grinned and let his grip on the women loosen. The two ran off. He slowly turned around, revealing a flesh-colored neck guard._

" _It's an honor to meet you in person," Nagisa recognized him now. This was Carlos Torrez. He was the second-in-command to Balduino Lucio, the ringmaster. Shit, he had been operating on bad intelligence. This was supposed to be the head of "security",_ _ **not**_ _anyone higher. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead._

" _I suppose you've noticed my movements?" Nagisa said, hoping to find an opportunity to either complete the assassination or escape._

" _There is nothing that escapes the sight of the Black Pigs." He gestured downwards. Nagisa didn't take the bait. He knew that snipers had their guns trained on him. If he guessed correctly, there were probably two snipers, one at four o'clock and another at ten o'clock. "Your talents are unmatched. I've heard that you took down a prominent member of the Yakuza, and you were only 16." Nagisa was silent, though he was a bit disturbed that such details about his life were so readily available on the underground circuit. "Your talents could be better utilized under the Black Pigs. I'm sure we'd pay more handsomely than your contractor, after all."_

" _I'm not interested," Nagisa said firmly. He never took jobs he had moral questions about. Lovro once commented that his moral compass was ironic in a job where he took people's lives. Nagisa flexed his fingers. He had an idea, but he had to be careful. He needed to brace himself._

" _What a shame to lose such a promising assassin at such a young age." He raised his hand, ready to give the signal for the shots._ _ **I sure hope this works.**_ _He braced himself. Carlos's hand came down, and the shots rang out. They tore through his bulletproof vest, leaving him with what would undoubtedly be a scar later._ _ **Minimum four seconds to reload.**_ _Through the pain he pulled two smoke grenades out from his pockets, activating them immediately. He pulled his pistol out, shooting in the directions that the shots had been fired. He heard one grunt, confirming a hit. The other bounced off of a building._

 _He sidestepped Carlos, who had his own gun out, ready to strike. He wasn't listening, Nagisa could tell. The man had backed up against a car, preparing himself for an attack from the front. Nagisa instinctively lightened his footsteps. The smoke screen would last only another minute and it was sure to be catching the attention of local law enforcement._

 _Before Carlos knew what had happened, Nagisa was at his side. "You don't mess with my prey," he whispered before the gunshot rang through Carlos's head._

 _Nagisa sighed as he looked down at his stained clothes. This was why he preferred a knife. Now there was just one more loose end. Using the speed he had honed from years of training starting at a young age, he launched himself towards the sniper. A younger man sat terrified as he made eye contact. Nagisa smiled._

" _Let the rest of the Black Pigs know that their time is limited."_

Nagisa instinctively rubbed the bullet scar. It had been a dumb risk, but he had prevailed. The next day, one-by-one, he took down key leaders of the Schwartze Schweine. Lovro had once told him that once an assassin had earned a name, they'd never have a shortage of job opportunities. From that encounter on, he was simply known in the underground circuit as The Blue Viper.

Nagisa skimmed over the report two more times. Father died in a car accident two years after he joined the government. Old colleagues perishing in freak accidents. Managers taking new jobs far away from Tokyo. No matter how the evidence piled up, it was hard to throw away his conflicted feelings.

He had known his target through high school, after all. They weren't the best of friends, but it was hard not to know and be familiar with someone that had been in the same class as you for three years. Still, given his upbringing, it was hard not to imagine this order coming in one day. If there was going to be someone bringing him down, it may as well be himself. Nagisa's shaky resolve became firm.

Asano Gakushuu's time was officially limited.


	2. Planning

**Chapter Two** \- **Planning**

Nagisa gathered the few possessions he owned and carefully packed them into his suitcase. A change of clothes, his camera, a wig, make-up, gun, and knives. In a separate and secured knapsack he carried his computer, a book, and the profile. He had already made the call to his contact at the Vancouver International Airport to let him know he'd be arriving soon and to let his bag "accidentally" miss inspection.

Packed up? Check.

Plane ticket booked? Check.

Landlord notified? Check.

Japanese accommodations made? Check.

Calls made?

Nagisa hesitated. He had already made the call to his contact, but he could make _one_ other call. His hand hovered over one of his three cell phones. Should he? He had kept in contact with her, albeit infrequently.

He knew he shouldn't. An assassin should never leave traces, let alone contact anyone they know outside of business. He flipped through his contacts, finally landing on the one he was looking for. He hadn't contacted her in over a year. He _shouldn't_ call her, let alone tell her that he was finally coming back to Japan.

Nagisa hit the call button anyway. The phone rang a few times before a bleary voice picked up.

"Nagisa? Nagisa-chan? Is that you?" A voice excitedly chimed over the phone.

"Yes mother, it's me," he said.

"Oh! I'm so relieved to hear your voice! You should call more often!" she lamented. Nagisa resisted chuckling. He had been on plenty of jobs where cell service wasn't even an option. In some cases, picking up a phone could even endanger his life.

"I'll try and make the effort," he said, "Listen mother, my work is bringing me back to Japan soon."

"You're finally coming back to Japan? Is your job working out? Are you still with that business development firm?"

"Yes, mother."

"It must be good that you're coming back! You might be up for a promotion!" she chattered excessively. Nagisa sighed and let her go on. Even eight years out of her household, he couldn't bring himself to cut her off.

"Yeah, I hope so too!" he said, "I can't wait to see you, mom."

"When do you come in?"

"I'm actually on my way to the airport right now," Nagisa explained, "My flight's scheduled to arrive around ten."

"Do you need a place to stay? You're always welcome in your mother's home." He definitely did not want to stay at his mom's place. It was already a bad enough idea to meet with her. Rule number one of being an assassin: cut all ties.

"I'm actually staying in a company apartment. I'm sorry, mom. I would if I could, but the deposit was already made." She scoffed.

"Fine, I understand."

"Listen, mother, I just wanted to let you know before I fly in. I'm at the airport now, I've gotta go."

"Alright Nagisa-chan, I can't wait to see you again!" Nagisa could hear her excitement through the phone.

"I'll see you soon, mom." He ended the call. He had never quite repaired his relationship with his mother, but he was an adult now, and he was more than willing to be cordial at the least. He had thought about totally cutting ties with her a number of times now, but he didn't like to leave loose ends, and their relationship was the definition of a loose end.

He entered the airport, opting to go with one of his Japanese national passports (Never his own personal one though, that was long gone). It would at least make his travel back into Japan a little easier. As Nagisa finally took a seat in his terminal, he couldn't help but reminisce on the first time he finally left the country.

 _Nagisa sat calm in the terminal seat. He tried not to think of the life he was leaving behind. The friends and the family. This was the life he had chosen. He was good at assassination, that much he had proven time and time again. He had gotten his first official job at the age of 16 to take down a Yakuza leader. He had completed the hit in a mere five minutes._

 _Of course, it had taken Nagisa months to mentally recover from that night, but that was a whole different story._

 _He tightly gripped his passport. He was flying to India to research and destroy a gang that had been stealing children for unknown purposes. It was a long-term assignment. Lovro had told him that it was possible he may never return to Japan._

 _He hadn't told anyone other than his mother. His own graduation had been just yesterday. He had promised Karma that he would see him soon. He had told Kayano, Kataoka, Nakamura, and Kanzaki that he would help them move into college. He, Sugino, Maehara, and Isogai had plans for lunch sometime soon. Nagisa hoped they would forgive him one day. Nagisa could hope that deception became easier as he grew into his job. It had to. Assassins without skills of deception were doomed to fail._

" _We are now boarding Flight 1739 to New Delhi."_

 _It was now or never._

Nagisa wondered what his friends would say to him now. Karma would probably make a snarky comment and throw a knife at him, telling him that if he couldn't dodge it, he was probably a pretty shitty assassin. Kayano would probably just outright punch him. He liked to think that his other friends would more readily forgive him, but he never knew.

"Now boarding Flight 843 to Tokyo." Nagisa stood up. He couldn't distract himself in Japan. He had no intention of seeing his former friends. He was going to go in, strike, and leave. The last thing he needed were those kind of questions. For them, there was probably little doubt as to where he ended up. This was just a job. That was that.

—

Nagisa slipped the immigration officer 10,000 yen not to notice the inconsistency in his passport, and he was on his way. A soft smile rested on his face as the familiar sounds of Japan filled the airport. He hadn't spoken his mother tongue in years. His mother once commented that his speech had become muddled with unfamiliar accents. It was inevitable when most of your business was done in English and Russian.

He pulled his bag off of baggage claim. His ride was already waiting for him.

"Hello, Mr. Matsunaga. How was your flight?" The driver politely asked.

"It was fine," he responded.

"You're at the ANA Intercontinental, correct?"

"Indeed." The driver opened the door for him, and Nagisa slid in. The driver started the car up and began their departure from the airport.

"Are you in town for business?"

"I am. I work at an international development firm."

"Where are you from?" Nagisa's eyes softened.

"I actually grew up in Tokyo," he said, "Left just after high school."

"You must've gone to a good high school to get hired right out of there!" Nagisa thought of all of the special training he underwent in high school. His normal teachers weren't too bad either.

"Yeah, it was pretty good." The trip continued quietly from that point on. The driver would occasionally shoot questions back at him, but Nagisa was quiet. Nagisa hadn't realized how many memories would resurface. _I wonder what my life would be like if I had stayed in Japan? Maybe I should buy a house after this job. It's not like I have any absence of funds at my disposal. I can take a vacation every once in a while._ The car came to a stop. Nagisa exited the vehicle and took his bag from the driver. He slipped him a 5,000 yen note and entered the hotel. The job should only last a month at most, he didn't need to find an apartment quite yet.

"Mr. Matsunaga?" The receptionist asked. Nagisa regarded him with a cool stare.

"Yes."

"Welcome to the ANA InterContinental Tokyo. Your room is 482. If you have any questions or needs, please don't hesitate to contact us. Will that be all your need?"

"Yes, that'll be fine." He took the key and walked up to his room, his heavy luggage dragging behind him.

 _Nagisa found reassurance in the fluffy hotel bed. This comfort was not going to last, he knew as much. Tomorrow he was going into the slums to begin research. Lovro told him that such jobs could take anywhere from six months to a year._

 _He closed his eyes and let the pillow settle around him. A couple of his friends should've realized by now that he was gone. His poor mother was probably going to get harassed with a million questions by Karma alone. He rolled over, ignoring the guilt that gnawed on his heart. Sugino was going to be so disappointed. Kayano and Nakamura were going to be furious. He sat up and walked over to his suitcase._

 _ **Forgive me, Lovro, I know you told me that I should abandon all of my possessions but I couldn't part with this.**_ _A small black box was settled deep below his clothes. A small necklace laid inside. It was sterling silver with a small, circular, yellow pendant. Karma had presented it to him for their graduation, saying it was a gift from everyone._

 _"We never thanked you for it. We know what you went through after it happened. We couldn't do it, and you could." Behind him, their friends were giving him supportive smiles. "So this is from all of us to you. We're all going off to different colleges, but when we get all old and boring, just remember us."_

 _Nagisa pulled it out of the black box. It gleamed as the florescent lighting hit it. "I'm going to need all the reminders I can get," he muttered to himself. He undid the silver clasp and put it around his neck. Tears began to fall down his face._

 _"I'm going to need all the reminders I can get," he repeated quietly._

The circular charm bounced against his collarbone as he changed into more casual clothes. First thing's first: Asano-finding. Next was Asano-tracking. Last was Asano-killing. Easy enough, an in and out job. He pulled out his laptop and some of his other gear. He had to set up a secured wi-fi spot to do some quick research to see if any of the information in the profile was incorrect.

He twirled a pen around his fingers as he wrote down notes on what he could find on him. The man had a LinkedIn profile, a Facebook profile, and a Line account. His posts were private, and his LinkedIn was neglected, showing an update only two years ago.

He typed Asano's name into a news aggregate, to which he saw numerous news articles pop up. There were a few profiles on his unusual rise to success. Others simply quoted him. He was becoming a rising star in politics and people were taking notice.

 _"You're really becoming well known, Nagisa."_

 _"I am?" Nagisa questioned, somewhat confused._

 _"They've given you a nickname. The Blue Viper." Nagisa sat back in his chair, trying to wrap his head around this. He had a nickname? That meant that he had really made it. "Rumors are forming."_

 _"Such as?"_

 _"That you took down an entire human trafficking ring in Mexico and slayed them all in broad daylight." Nagisa thought back to the Black Pig ring. He_ _ **had**_ _taken them down. That wasn't wrong. In broad daylight though? That would be hard, even for him._

 _"Incredible."_

 _"You're really in demand now, Nagisa. So, where will the Blue Viper strike next?"_

He read through the profiles the Internet had afforded him. The profiles were almost identical to the one he had gotten from Lovro. Whoever was ordering the hit was doing it on current information at the very least. Asano Gakushuu was second-in-command to the head of the Bureau of Elementary and Secondary Education department in the Ministry of Education, a though that made Nagisa shiver. He had seen a lot of good in Gakushuu in junior high and eventually high school, although he had become quieter and quieter as high school drew to a close. Nagisa never got to see where he went after that.

He mindlessly wrote down notes and interesting tidbits he came across. In one article, it commented they had caught him on his way to lunch, which mean Asano took his lunch at approximately 12:30pm. He probably went into the office around eight, and left around five or six. Nagisa guessed he probably didn't take too many vacation days either. He glanced at the clock. 13:45. He would begin scouting the next day.

—

Of all the skills that assassination required, scouting was definitely one of the most aggravating parts of his job. He found a cute little café (though not as great as the one in Vancouver) not too far from the Ministry, where the real work could begin. He had quickly purchased a small laptop from a nearby electronics store. It was going to be far too hard to pinpoint Asano directly from the Tokyo commute crowds. That meant he would have to track his target another way: digitally.

Nagisa hated hacking. He wasn't good at it and he didn't enjoy it. His target likely had a government phone as well, which was sure to have a minimum of one hundred security measures. He tapped his fingers against the new laptop's keyboard. If a government agency picked up on the hack, at least it wouldn't be traced to his own wi-fi or his own computer. It was disposable.

 _"Alright, Nagisa, it's time for you to learn something new," Karasuma told him. Nagisa stood a little bit straighter. They had been upping the intensity of his training everyday now. It was no longer about free running, but free climbing and strength exercises. If he was to be a pro assassin, he needed to be at the peak of physical fitness. He sparred against Karasuma in martial arts and learned weaponry from Irina._

 _"Yes, Karasuma-sensei?"_

 _"Sit down."_ _Nagisa complied. "Most communication nowadays is totally digital. When you eventually get out there, it's going to be very important that you know how to navigate digital environments and computers. I'm going to be teaching you how to hack computers."_

 _"Hacking?" Nagisa asked, "It's that important?"_

 _Karasuma nodded. "It's that important."_

It was times like these that Nagisa wished he had his own IT lackey like movies about secret agents always showed (though he wasn't a government agent, the principle still stood). He would have to find a site to begin his electronic assault. He just need to access to Asano's planner, that was it. His mobile phone would be a great starting point, assuming he was working on a government phone.

He felt a headache coming on.

He was going to need another coffee.

—

Nagisa sat in a bar not too far from where the Ministry of Education. He quietly sipped at the sake he had ordered. While enjoying some real sake (definitely not that nasty stuff he had tried in the US!) was definitely important, he had a bigger purpose here. He mindlessly scrolled through his phone, listening to the conversations around him as carefully as he could.

"And he's just not paying attention to me anymore!"

"Oh Hikari-san, I totally understand. You should dump him, if he's not respecting you, you shouldn't put up with that!"

Not relevant.

"Did you see what Kenji-san posted yesterday?"

"No, what?"

"So while he was apparently too sick to come into work, he wasn't too sick to head out on a date with Makoto-chan!"

"Really?!"

Not relevant.

"I can't believe what a jerk he is."

"C'mon Yori-san, he's not all that bad."

"Just because he's the boss doesn't mean he can treat us like that!"

"Look, I worked under Asano-sama for a while too." Nagisa's eyes widened, what luck! "You just gotta deal with it. Do as he says, even if he's a jerk while he orders you around." The woman lowered her voice, but Nagisa was already acutely attuned to their conversation. "They say that bad things happen to people who don't respect him. They say he's got a curse or something. But if he likes you, good things come your way." Nagisa listened as they ordered another round.

"I dunno if I can keep up pretending to tolerate him," Yori explained, "He keeps me late, I feel like I haven't seen my children in _weeks_. You know this is the first time I've gotten off at five in two months?"

"It seems hard now, but I can guarantee that if he likes you, you'll make it to the top. You know when he was in my department. My co-worker, Daichi-san, you remember him? He got on Asano-sama's good side and you know what happened? He ended up in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Somehow, he made the jump from MEXT to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Do you know how hard that is? That man can either send you to your grave or your dreams."

"I dunno, Kaiya-san, there's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way, y'know?" He swallowed his sake, ordering another round. "It's like, who the hell is he anyway? He's ten years younger than me!" Nagisa twitched. He would need to act soon. Not yet. He watched the bartender deliver the next round. Almost. The woman sipped at her cup.

"That man is cursed, I'm telling you," she said, shaking her head, "There's something about him. His charisma and his ruthlessness."

"I'm sick of it!" he spat. The alcohol was starting to get to him, that much was obvious. He must've had a lot more before Nagisa had arrived. _Not yet._

"Just power through, I know you can do it," she said, patting him on the back.

"Yeah yeah, God knows how long he's gonna be there anyway." She grinned.

"Exactly." _Almost._ He gulped down another round of sake. She rubbed his back again. "Look, Takashi-san, I've gotta go. I'm meeting my boyfriend in ten. Don't let Asano-sama get you too down, alright. If you ever need to vent, just text me or call me. I'll respond as soon as I can." _Now._ The woman got up, giving him a hug before leaving. Nagisa gulped down the rest of his sake. He threw a 500 yen coin on the counter top. It was time to put on a show.

He stumbled from his stool, as though he had a lot more to drink than he actually had. He

wandered in the direction of the man, "accidentally" stumbling into this Takashi-san.

"Watch it!" the man snapped, his hand up ready to pay his tab.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I don' normally ge' this bad, bu' my shitty-ass boss has bee' getting on my nerves la'ly. I'm sorry." He bowed deeply, pretending to convey his sincerity. He swayed a bit where he bowed. The man laughed loudly.

"Join th' party!" he exclaimed, slamming his hand on Nagisa's back. He held back his instinct to throw his knife at the man's throat.

"Hi' stupid ass fired me today," Nagisa slurred, carefully watching the man, "Like wha' di' I do to deserve tha'? I show up everyda' at eigh' o'clock sharp, don' leave until six. Like hi' lazy ass doesn' show up till ten!"

"My crazy ass boss doesn't ever _leave!_ " The man exclaimed, exasperated. "He's there when I get in and when I leave! He's gotta get there at like five or six or some shit!" _That's good to know._ _At the earliest, his daily schedule probably starts at 5 in the morning._

"My stupi' boss leaves at like four too! I been bustin' my ass for ten hours a day, and he jus' fires me!" Nagisa exclaimed, roughly taking a cup and slamming it onto the counter. The man laughed, gesturing to the bartender to get them another round. Nagisa carefully sipped the drink that the bartender delivered, he didn't want to _actually_ get drunk.

"Isn't that how it always is?!" Takashi agreed, "I've been working for _13_ years at this stupid ministry, and I get passed over for a promotion, while this young attractive prick gets the job in an instant! The asshole probably used his daddy's connections to get it or something! I got two kids at home! I could use that promotion!" Nagisa's heart went out to him, it really did. He really did seem like a hard-working man.

"Lemme ask you, does your boss do this stupi' ass thin' where he makes you pool your schedules togethe' like he doesn't trus' you or somethin'?"

"How did you know!? And of course, he thinks he's so high and mighty because he keeps his own shit private!" Nagisa gritted his teeth. Of course he did. Wouldn't it be so nice if he made things convenient for his assassin? That was never the case.

"M' boss did the same thin'! As if his lazy ass had anythin' to hide!"

"My boss is some crazy ass powerful man." Takashi lowered his voice. "They say that if he doesn't like you, he'll find ways to take you out. That's why they're saying he got his position so young. He's ruthless." Not particularly informative. Though it did confirm that Asano had just gotten crazier since they got out of high school. His case briefing told him as much. He mentally gathered what he had learned. _Underlings don't like him, his day-to-day work is likely encrypted, even his employees realize he's invested in some shady business, and he's typically at work from five am to seven pm._ Nagisa mentally groaned. There was no way he was going to get out of attempting to hack Asano's phone. At least he now had a starting point.

Nagisa dramatically glanced at his watch. "Ah shi', I can' stay out much longer. I gotta ge' home." He gulped down the rest of the sake, leaving a 1000 yen note on the bar.

"It was nice meeting ya, man. Hope you can find another job," Takashi said. Nagisa nodded, standing up. He feigned a stumble into the man. "You gonna be alright getting home?"

"I'll b' fine," he assured. He pushed himself back, and stumbled towards the door, Takashi's work phone carefully tucked into his pocket.

Not a bad first day.


	3. Reconciliation

**Chapter Three - Reconciliation**

Nagisa rapidly typed into his disposable laptop. He was currently awaiting a guest, but until she arrived, work came first. Taking Takashi-san's work phone at the bar the other day was working out for him. It didn't connect directly to Asano's schedule (he would've been more than surprised if it did), but it gave him a launching point. He was in the system. The Code was splayed out in front of him, and it was up to him to find its weak point.

He really hated hacking.

"Nagisa-chan?" A feminine voice called out. He looked up from his work and smiled. The years had changed her. Her hair was graying, she was slouching more, and the wrinkles on her face stood out more than ever. He stared into her matching blue-eyes. She looked him up and down, taking in every inch of his appearance. He couldn't really blame her, the last time she had seen him, he had been much different.

 _"A job offer? You were going to Hosei! We put the deposit down and everything."_

 _"I'm sorry, mom, but I can't turn this down."_

 _"Let me see that!" she screamed. Nagisa winced and handed her the crumpled letter. It had been carefully written by Lovro as a cover. The addresses, the phone number, the website, it was all real. "Tadao's International Development Firm? What the hell is that?!"_

 _"It's a business that helps Japanese firms expand internationally," he recited. His heart was sinking. He knew that she wouldn't be happy about this, but she seemed furious. "I'm leaving tonight."_

 _"How dare you?! After all I've done for you! You just run off ungrateful!" Nagisa felt anger curling in his stomach._

 _"What? What have you done for me?!" he exclaimed. She gaped, surprised by his outburst. Nagisa was sick of it. He was sick of never being taken seriously, hating himself for being who he was, "You single-handedly_ _ **ruined**_ _my life!" He tore down his pigtails, allowing his hair to fall to its sides. "Is this what you wanted?!"_

 _"Who the hell do you think you are to speak to me like this?!"_

 _"I am your_ _ **son**_ _! I'm sorry that what_ _ **I**_ _want to do doesn't fit into your master plan for_ _ **my**_ _life, but this is what I want to do." His nails dug into the palm of his hand. He took a shaky breath. He needed to calm himself. "I am taking this job and there's nothing you can do to stop me."_

"Hi, mother," he greeted. He pushed the laptop and phone into the bag he had resting at his feet. "Hope it wasn't too hard to find this place."

"No, no, I've been here before," she assured, "Are you sure you don't want to visit our home?" Nagisa smiled.

"I don't know if we can really call it _our_ home anymore. I haven't been home in almost nine years."

"Well, _the_ home is always open to you, Nagisa-chan," she corrected, "Are you sure you don't want to stay with me?"

"It would be rude to say no to my work when they're going to such lengths to accommodate me," Nagisa explained. He drummed his fingers against the table. "I wouldn't mind dropping by though, maybe after I finish my work here?"

"Will you really be leaving so soon?" she whined, "You haven't been back in eight years and you're going to leave so quickly?" He laughed quietly.

"It's just the nature of my job."

"Can't you request to stay in Japan?"

"I probably could, but I'm not sure I want to."

"Do you not like it here?"

"It's not that I don't like it here, it's that I enjoy traveling more," Nagisa explained, taking another sip from his coffee. He needed to deflect the conversation. "Do you want anything to eat? I hear their sandwiches are very good."

"You don't have to, Nagisa-chan."

"It's no problem, mother. How about the Italian sub with tea?"

"You shouldn't. A mother should take care of her child."

"Well, now that I've made in the world, it's my time to take care of you," he insisted, "I've grown, mother, you don't need to take care of me anymore." She frowned, silent as she gathered her thoughts. Nagisa finished his coffee, quietly hoping that his mother could finally learn to let go. That was why he was here, after all.

"You kept your hair long," she said softly.

 _"What do you need, Irina-sensei?" Nagisa asked curiously. She had pulled him to the side from his usual physical training. Karasuma-sensei was standing to the side, looking away._

 _"Do you mind putting your hair down for me?" she asked. Nagisa's head tilted. He pulled the hair ties out, letting his hair fall down. He combed through it quickly to get rid of tangles._ _She stood back and examined him. "Sit down, Nagisa." He complied. She took a seat next to him._

 _"What is this all about, Irina-sensei?" he asked. His hands twitched to bring his hair up again._

 _"Nagisa, as an assassin, you will soon learn that you must sneak into buildings, parties, and gatherings that you would never be invited to. Much of what you've learned from me is how to act in cocktail parties, in high dinner settings, and high society. However, these skills alone are not enough to ensure that you get in the places you need to be." She met his eyes. "Nagisa, you have an advantage that most assassins do not, and will not, ever have." Nagisa had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly what she meant._

 _"Your androgyny means that places you couldn't get into as a man, you can get into as a woman." He felt anger bubble up inside him. Irina_ _ **knew**_ _that he didn't like the fact he could pass as a woman. "I know this is a sensitive subject for you, but assassination is a hard business, and you're going to need to toughen up if you want to make it."_

 _"Irina-sensei, I appreciate the suggestion, but I can't. No, I_ _ **won't.**_ _"_

 _"Nagisa, I know you don't like it, but I can guarantee there is going to be a time in your career that you are going to be stuck as a man. But as a woman, you'll find your way in." She lit a cigarette. "From today onwards, I will be teaching you seduction techniques. You can ignore them, or you can take them to heart. But I can guarantee that one day, they will be of use to you._ "

"I cut my hair short after I left," he admitted, "But I let it grow out after that." He had totally refused to let it grow out to the lengths it had been in middle school and high school, but he had kept it loosely layered and below his chin. At the moment, he had pulled half of it back, so he could keep it out of his face as he stared at his damn computer screen for hours. When he needed it, he just stuck a flower in it and no one ever questioned him. He had only used it to pass as a woman a handful of times, but he would never forget its use in Dubai….

"I'm glad," she said sincerely, "I'm glad you're happy."

"I'm also glad to see that you're doing alright, mother. I know I'm not the best at calling, and I'm sure you spend a lot of time worrying about where I am or what I'm doing, but I just want to let you know that I do care and that I'm doing just fine." He could see her tearing up. She reached out and rested her hand on Nagisa's.

"I've been a terrible mother, Nagisa." He didn't protest that point. "I-I never got to apologize about our last encounter before you left. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Tears began to fall down her face. She squeezed his hand. "I've been waiting to tell you that for so long. I'm so glad that you've found happiness."

"It means a lot to hear you say that," he said earnestly. She wiped away some of the tears.

"I would love to hear about some of your adventures abroad, if you'd be willing to tell." Nagisa gave her a soft smile.

"Sure, what do you want to hear about first?"

—

Japan was making him sentimental, Nagisa decided. Thinking of the past was never an asset. It left assassins slow, distracted, and vulnerable. Since leaving the country oh so many years ago, he rarely thought back to his former life. Constantly throwing around what if scenarios in his head was neither healthy nor productive.

Yet, for some reason, he was now standing outside the gates of Kunugigaoka High School.

He didn't need to be here. He really didn't, he should be in his hotel room or in a café, cracking the damned code. But here he was, staring at the school yard that he had spent the better part of three years in.

 _Everyone was nervous. That much was obvious. About half of Class E had stuck together, deciding to continue onto Kunuguigaoka High School. Karasuma had pulled some strings with the government and Board Chairman Asano, allowing Class E to move onto high school, despite the no-graduation clause. Their grades had placed them in Class 1-A, along with the five virtuosos (who were now regarding them with a lot of contempt)._

 _They carefully regarded the empty desk at the front of the room. After Koro-sensei, who else could compare?_

 _Nagisa still had night terrors. He could distinctly remember the feeling of his knife piercing his teacher's heart. The way that the monster melted away, revealing the human underneath it all. His last words would haunt him for the rest of his life, he was sure._

 _He felt a hand on his arm. It was Isogai._

 _"You were shaking," he said softly. He wasn't the only one that had nightmares about Koro-sensei's death. All of the class missed him in some capacity, and those that had been at the center of the impact had the same lingering trauma. Isogai included. "Are you going to be alright?"_

 _"I think so," Nagisa said, "I just get flashes sometimes, y'know?" Isogai smiled sympathetically._

 _"I understand." The unspoken message was clear._ _I do too._ _"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always open, okay?" Nagisa nodded. The door opened, and a short woman with long brown hair walked in, carrying a number of folders. She was their new teacher. A far cry from the almost ten foot tall octopus monster._

 _"Good morning, class. It's the start of a new school year and I hope to get to know you well throughout the year," she said. Nagisa's hand itched. It was so bizarre to be in a classroom without a gun or a knife within reaching distance._

 _But this was their life now. It wasn't always going to be about saving the world or reaching for the knife. Their futures were ahead of them, it was up to them what they wanted to do with them. He fingered a card that he had been stuck in his pocket for months now. Maybe it was time to take control his own future. Maybe it was time he gave Karasuma-sensei a call._

Nagisa continued to walk around the school. He watched as some students struggled to complete the run around the track. He smiled fondly. During their first PE class in high school, they didn't hold back and left the rest of their class in the dust. Although a couple of students had dropped their workout regime, many had still kept it up. He had been included in that.

He tore himself away from the high school, instead letting his feet lead the way to where the most formative years of his life took place: Kunugigaoka Junior High. The school had changed a lot after Koro-sensei left. The old school grounds had been utterly destroyed in Koro-sensei's attack. The newest generation of Class E students got to remain on the main campus (although in the oldest and nastiest classrooms). Karasuma had argued that they dismantle the Class E program all together, but it never went through. It left a new generation of students to face the scorn and shame of being the lowest class.

Nagisa turned away from the main school, his footsteps falling on the both familiar and yet unfamiliar path that he used to walk every day for a year. The path was overrun with weeds and foliage. He expertly timed his steps, but still stumbled as an occasional root caught his foot.

 _This walk felt a lot longer 10 years ago,_ he marveled. The path became rougher and harder to follow as he went deeper and deeper into the forest. He could see something blocking his path in the distance. _Is that…is that police tape?_ It was, it was browned and brittle with years of dirt and dust. _They left it as is?_ His heart beat rapidly as he realized what he was seeing. The crater had eroded through the years, but it was left exactly as it was. The tower from which they had staged their attack stood abandoned, its crumbling structure ready to fall.

 _Hayami-san and Chiba-san had missed. Hayami's bullet had taken out one of his tentacles, and Chiba's had simply hit a feeler. Far from their intended mark of his heart. At Mach 20, he took out the support structures of their tower. The two screamed and the class gasped as the tower began to tilt. Karasuma-sensei was in action before any of them could shout, saving the two students. Koro-sensei towered above them, his black contorted face looking down on them._

 _"The school year is over and our contract has expired. I am no longer your sensei. I am your target."_

Nagisa moved forward without thinking. He slide down the concave surface, loose dirt falling down beside him. His mind was filled with memories. This was where he and his classmates gained the confidence in themselves to walk with their heads held high. Where they had found hidden talents lurking just underneath the surface.

 _He had hit his target. Nagisa's knife was lodged deeply into the heart, right in the center of his moon tie. Koro-sensei stopped wriggling. Nagisa's hand loosened, he could hardly believe what had happened. Behind him, Karma, Kayano, and the rest of his class were breathing deeply, their breaths like sirens in the sudden quiet. Koro-sensei's black face slowly morphed. Soon it was back to yellow._

 _Then it began to melt away._

This was the place where he had killed Koro-sensei. Where he had really began his career as an assassin. His eyes fell on a patch of dead ground. Weeds and roots had overrun every other inch of this crater, but not this patch. He leaned down, touching the dead ground.

"I hope you're proud of me, sensei."

 _"You'll make a great assassin one day, Nagisa."_

—

He was so damn close it was infuriating! He had gotten into the Ministry of Education's system, through some miracle. He was a step away from getting into Asano Gakushuu's personal system, but every time it felt within his grasp, it slipped right out. He was tempted to order another coffee, but it was only two pm and he already had three. Maybe just something sweet then? He definitely deserved a reward for all of his work for the last five days.

Nagisa sighed and tried another approach. It was all he could really do. Not that he really thought Asano would have such an obvious hole in his own personal system.

Click. Click. Type. Type. Groan. Type. Backspace. Backspace. Type. Type. Enter.

Nagisa leaned back as the computer processed his request.

He was in.

For a long minute, he just stared at the computer screen.

Holy shit.

 _Holy shit._

It took all of Nagisa's self-control not to jump up and celebrate. He was _in!_ After a long three days of nothing but fighting with this god damn computer, he was _in!_ With wonder, he clicked around the system, accessing Asano's email, apps, and files. It was _real_ , he was actually in the system! He exited the screen, opening Asano's schedule. _Incredible._ He hated this part of the job, but it was a damn good feeling when he finally succeeded.

He was in so much awe and amazement that he didn't even twitch when a small child accidentally ran into him.

"Ah! I'm sorry, mister!" the child cried, bowing. Nagisa tore his eyes away from the miracle on his computer screen. The child looked to be about four, with dark eyes and hair. Although face didn't look 100% Japanese, maybe a bit of Slavic blood in him?

"It's fine," he said, elation still evident in his voice. He tilted his head. The more he looked at this child, the more he looked strangely familiar.

"Aleksandr!" _Aleksandr? What an odd name in Japan... He_ _ **must**_ _have some Slavic blood in him then._ "Aleksandr!" The voice called out again. A very _familiar_ voice, as a matter of fact. Nagisa's eyes widened. _No way!_ His mind reeled. Nagisa slowly looked up from the child, only to see a face he hadn't seen in years.

"Irina-sensei!" He blurted out. Her eyes shot from her son (oh my god, she had a son!), to Nagisa. Her eyes widened, and she almost dropped the cake and coffee in her hands. She looked different. Happier, for a start. Her long hair had been cut into a wavy bob, and she wore jeans (she was wearing jeans!) and a sweater. Cashmere, from the looks of it (some things never change). A woman and a young girl stood next to her.

"Nagisa?!" She exclaimed. Her son (!) wandered back towards her.

"Ehh? You know him, Irina-san?" The woman asked.

"He was one of my first students. He's been working abroad," she explained curtly, "How long has it been, Nagisa?"

"A little under ten years, Irina-sensei," he said.

"Did your work bring you here?" _Are you on a job right now?_

"Yes, I'm not going to be here for too long. I'll probably be leaving again in two weeks," he said, standing up and turning towards the woman. "My name is Shiota Nagisa. It's nice to meet you."

"Ah, it's nice to meet you too. I'm Ichisada Akemi."

"Hey Irina-san. Why don't I take Aleksandr for the day so you two can catch up?"

"Sure, Akemi-san, I would appreciate it." She kneeled down. "Hey Aleksandr, be sure to place nice with Emiko-chan."

"Yeesss, Mom." She smiled and wiped some dirt off of his face. He squirmed around and hide behind the other mother.

"I'll pick him up in a few hours," she promised. Akemi smiled.

"I'll see you then." She led the children to the other end of the café, while Irina took the seat across from him. He closed his laptop and set it to the side.

"He's cute," Nagisa commented, still kind of reeling over the fact that Irina was a _mother._ "How old is he?"

"He's turning six in a few months." She sipped her coffee, "So you're here for a job?"

"Yes, like I said, I expect to be out in two weeks. Maybe three at most."

"Not long-term?"

"Not this time."

"Color me impressed, Nagisa. I'm betting you've made a name for yourself." He smiled.

"Yes, I have. So what about you? Are you still consulting for the government?"

"No, I left not long after you did," she explained, "I'm actually teaching English at a high school." Nagisa stifled a snicker. Irina scowled. "What was that, brat? I'll have you know I'm actually well-loved and respected!" Nagisa didn't bother holding back his laughter this time. "Disrespectful brat."

"No, no, I'm sorry," he said, "You were a great teacher to me, so I'm sure you're a great teacher to them."

"Damn right I am." She took a bite of her cake. "So, where were you last?"

"Vancouver," he said, "I was working with the CEO of a children's non-profit."

"I see," she said thoughtfully, "Have you been here long?"

"Not really. About four days now." She leaned forward.

"Have you had the chance to see anyone else?" He hesitated for a moment.

"My mother," he said quietly. Her eyes softened.

"How did that go?"

"A lot better than expected. I think she's finally accepted that she doesn't have to have her hand in my life all the time. It was a surprisingly pleasant conversation."

"I'm glad for you. What does she thinks you've been doing abroad?" Nagisa flipped open his business card holder and handed on to Irina.

"I work at an international business development consulting firm. We're based in Japan, but have operations all over the world." She scanned it and nodded with approval.

"Very solid. I'm guessing the number on here goes straight to voice mail?"

"Yes. I am a very busy, very respectable businessman." They both shared a laugh. She sipped her coffee. Nagisa sensed a lull in the conversation. "How's Karasuma-sensei doing?"

"He's doing very well for himself," she said, "He's been promoted to Minister for Defense. He's been working very hard. Poor Aleksandr doesn't get to see him that often. Tadaomi tries his best to get home every night, and that's all I can ask for." She leaned on her arm. "Have you seen anyone else?" She asked seriously.

"No," Nagisa admitted. He should've known this question would come up. He knew what she was hinting at.

She gave him a serious look. "Nagisa, everyone was devastated after you left. _Everyone_ came to me and Tadaomi to ask where you had gone. I thought Karma was going to kill us himself if we didn't tell him anything. Seeing you might not fix everything, but it'll give them some peace of mind. I know they still worry about you." Nagisa sat back.

"I made my choice a long time ago," he started, "Believe me, I have some regrets about how I left, but I can't just go up there and see everyone again. They've moved on. _I've_ moved one. It'll only bring back bad memories for everyone."

"I think you're underestimating how much your friends still love you. I _know_ they'd be glad to see you. They would be happy to see that you're okay." Nagisa gave her a bitter smile.

"I'm sure they've forgotten about me," he said quietly.

"I'm **more** than sure they haven't," she said firmly. She placed her hand on his and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Just…just consider it, okay?" He smiled.

"I'll consider it, at least."

"Good, now tell me about where you've been for the last eight years." Nagisa laughed.

"Where do I even begin?"


	4. The Assassination

**Chapter Four - The Assassination**

Asano Gakushuu's schedule was airtight. He entered the office at 5:30 to review the news and get his daily briefing. His employees began coming in around six, giving Nagisa a 30 minute window if he wanted to take that opportunity. He would have a team meeting at seven. A meeting with other division heads at 8:30. Four hours of office work after that. A one-hour lunch, usually out in public at one of the nearby restaurants. More office work and meetings, until he finally went home at seven. At any given moment of the day, he was doing something.

Nagisa weighed his options. The half hour in the morning was no-dice. It was too short a period of time to get in and out of the building, and there was too much risk. If one of his subordinates just so happened to walk in too early, then it was all over. After work was his best bet. He could track when employees were leaving the office, when he was alone. It would also give him the benefit of keeping the body untouched overnight, giving him enough room to escape.

"Friday..." Nagisa muttered to himself. He would have a little over a week to prepare. He could try and tackle the assassination in three days, but as the old assassin proverb went: In too quick, never out again. So nine days. Simple enough.

First, he needed a disguise. His blue hair was too distinctive, especially in a government office setting. He would need to cover it up. That wouldn't be hard, he had mastered disguises a long time ago.

Second, he needed a weapon. He opened the hidden compartment in his suitcase, revealing the numerous weapons he had collected. From the protective casing, he pulled out his favorite knife.

 _"An assassin should be well-versed in a myriad of weaponry," Karasuma lectured. Nagisa nodded. "You've had a lot of experience with knife work, gun work, both pistols and automatic, but I am here to expand that."_

 _"That said, almost every assassin has a preferred weapon," Irina jumped in, "I prefer a pistol. I can use everything in these cases, but if I had a choice, I would go for a pistol." Karasuma sat down and opened two of the hard cases he had brought. Nagisa stared at the strange assortment in front of him._

 _"By the end of your training, you will be proficient at every single one of these weapons," he declared. He pointed towards one gun. "This one is particularly good if you are going to be shooting from a medium-range distance." He pointed to a pistol. "You already know, but short to medium-range distances are best for this gun." Finally, he pulled a knife out of the second case. "In addition to bearing a knife, becoming comfortable with knife throwing is very important."_

 _"But," Irina butted in, "Using a knife is brutal. You need to be precise with your cuts, or you will cause suffering. Unless, of course, that is your intention." Nagisa's eyes went wide. Horrified. He saw a brief hint of approval in Irina's eyes. "It's also personal. Most assassins you find will prefer a gun to a knife."_

 _"So Nagisa, what would you like to learn first?" Karasuma asked. Nagisa looked over his options. He had never been great with guns, so he should probably pick one of those. He paused._

 _"Karasuma-sensei, why is there a sword here?"_

 _"You never know when you'll be in a pinch," Irina answered. It was oddly amusing despite the strange situation._

 _Nagisa turned back to the weapons. He pulled out the knife. He wasn't quite sure why liked it, but he had always gravitated towards knives in Class E._

 _"Can we start with knife work?" he asked. The two nodded. He handed the knife to Karasuma._

 _"No, keep it," he said, "It's your weapon of choice. It's yours now."_

He reluctantly packed his favorite knife back away. It was not appropriate for this particular task. Instead, he pulled a bulkier gun out of the casing. This was a job for a sniper.

Third, and finally, he needed a plan. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. This is where it really began.

He enjoyed assassination prep, second to perhaps the action of executing the assassination itself. Unless, naturally, said assassination prep included hacking. In which case, he kind of hated it. Still, he loved coming up with many solutions on the puzzle of assassination. He had to counter hundreds of inside and outside factors that may affect the assassination. What if the police caught wind of his plans or he was caught mid assassination? What if Asano got an important phone call immediately after his death and which alerted the person on the other end to trouble on Asano's end? What if there was no escape route?

He drew his hand down his notebook. In it were the numerous assassination considerations, plans, and worst case scenarios. He had always preferred writing his plans down in a notebook. It made it so much easier to jot down his side thoughts and ideas.

In his ideal plan, he would be entering the office building neighboring the Ministry at around 17:00 disguised as a maintenance worker. Most occupants would be leaving work for the weekend at this point, which would help detract attention away from him. He would then head to the office that was across from Asano's. According to his schedule, he had a meeting until 17:45, at which point, he would be alone for the rest of the night until around 19:00, when he typically left.

The plan was simple. Simplicity was always best when it came to assassination. Complicated plans got you killed or caught.

At the moment, he was looking down at a list of things he needed to do and/or obtain before Friday. He needed an ID card, easy enough to forge; a wig, which he already had; his gun (that was checked off a long time ago); access to a floor plan of the buildings, still working on it; and access to security cameras, not even close. Nagisa mentally groaned at the work ahead of him.

Only a little reluctantly, he began to type into the computer. The worst part about this part of assassination was that the sensitivity of the information meant he couldn't do his work in a café anymore. So here he was, drinking awful hotel coffee, alone in his room. He would have to treat himself to a nice restaurant later that night.

The assassination was a little over a week away. Then he could be out of this country and be rid of all the memories it resurfaced. Just one more week.

—

"You'll never guess who I ran into the other day," Irina said as she leaned against the counter top, a glass of red wine in her hand. Aleksandr was already in bed.

"Hm?" Her husband was at the kitchen table, working on some paperwork.

"Nagisa." Karasuma's scribbling stopped. He looked up at her seriously.

"Nagisa?" he repeated. She nodded, taking a sip of her wine, "Is he here for a job?"

"From what it sounds like, yes. He was tight-lipped, but I got that it was an in-and-out job. I'm guessing a minor criminal or government official. He said he'd only be around for about two weeks at most."

"Hm, how's he doing?"

"He's relaxed, comfortable. He's lost a lot of his accent, though I don't even think he realizes it."

"Kind of like you, then."

"Yeah," she agreed, "He kept his hair long."

"Did he?"

 _"No! I refuse!" He yelled. Irina was surprised, she had never seen him get this angry before. If ever._

 _"Nagisa..." she started._

 _"No! I'm so sick of being everyone's puppet! What if I don't want to do this?!"_

 _"You don't have to listen to me if you don't want to. But these skills will be useful in the future, I can guarantee it."_

 _"I don't care. I just want to be my own person! I don't want to be someone I'm not! The_ _ **second**_ _I am out of my mother's house I'm cutting my hair off!" Irina didn't respond. It was good that Nagisa was finally confronting his feelings. It would make him stronger._

"Yeah, though it's not quite as long as it was back when he was in high school. It's still enough to fool anyone he wants to." Karasuma tapped his pen against the table.

"Did he tell you of any of what he's been up to?"

"Nothing much. He did mention the CEO of a non-profit in Canada though."

"Interesting, should I expect any trouble from him?" Irina laughed.

"I think we taught him better than that."

—

"ID, sir," the man intoned. Nagisa fumbled with the "authentic" ID card. He presented it to the security officer.

"Muso-san?"

"Yes," Nagisa confirmed with a nod. He loudly chewed on some gum.

"And what is your purpose at the Ministry today?"

"What's it look like? I'm here to fix some lights." He held up his case to demonstrate his point. Should the security officer decide to check his case, it would indeed hold a number of tools needed to fix lighting. The rifle laid in a hidden compartment, opened only by a key he currently had hanging around his neck. The guard looked annoyed by his disrespect.

"And what office are you fixing?"

"I'm headin' up to the 12th floor, their lights are flickering and some outlets aren't working. I'm gonna take a look and work some magic." He waggled his fingers around to emphasize his point. The guard rolled his eyes.

"Just sign this." He handed Nagisa a visitors form, which he quickly filled out. The guard handed him a sticker that plainly stated VISITOR. "Wear this at all times and be sure to sign out when you leave." Nagisa placed the audacious sticker on his shirt.

"Thank ya!" He picked up his case and headed towards the elevator. He could feel the watchful eyes of the suspicious guard on him. Thankfully, a shift change should be happening soon, so the guard would be switched out for someone new soon enough. He entered the next elevator, standing to the side as a number of people left for the day. He glanced at his watch. _17:22, perfect._

He pressed the button to 12, feeling the elevator hum as it began to ascend. As the doors opened, he let a few people enter as he exited. He walked the hallway, carefully making note of the offices and nearby exits. He slid his ID card for office 537. Based on his research, he was entering the office of a small tech start-up. The entrepreneur had some connections that allowed him to get an office in the heart of Tokyo. He pushed the door open, feeling a bit of relief to see that the office was empty. He shut the door, locking it behind him. It wouldn't be the best security, but it would be enough.

Nagisa carefully examined the room for any cameras. He was satisfied to see none except for the computer webcams. That would be easy enough to avoid and were probably not high enough quality to capture a detailed image of him. Still, he ducked under their viewfinder as he approached the window. It was always better to be overly-cautious than not cautious enough.

He pulled a couple of boxes from their supply closet to creating a mounting station for the rifle. It would make it easier for him hit his target than it would without. Nagisa pulled apart the casing that hid his gun and set it on the stand he had created. He looked through the scope, hoping to get a sense of orientation with the office.

 _No, too far to the right._ He adjusted. _A little too high._ Down just a bit. _Perfect._ The window to Gakushuu's office was open, or at least the curtains were, giving him a great view into the room. He could see an older man with blond hair sitting on the other end of the desk, though he couldn't immediately see Gakushuu. The unknown man was looking off to the side, which told Nagisa that Asano was probably just outside the windows view.

Nagisa watched carefully. He could see the man's eyes following the figure around the office. He watched the man speak a few times, but Gakushuu never quite appeared in front of the window. Still, he watched. _To the right, right, right, left, stationary, stationary, left, left, left._ Nagisa's heart pounded. _Left, left, left..._ Sure enough, a familiar face appeared in the window. _Just like the photos._ _He's grown up well, at least._ He could remember their classes together.

 _Nagisa and Karma walked down the hall together. This was where they would spend the next three years of their lives. It was a little scary._

 _"What do you think our sensei is going to be like?" Nagisa asked._

 _"On previous experience, I would guess a 7 foot tall bird monster that wants to drain the ocean dry."_

 _"That would be fun," he agreed with a laugh, ignoring the way his stomach twisted when he thought of Koro-sensei. He waved to Kayano, who was currently having a deep conversation about sweets with Kurahashi. His eyes then met a familiar face._

 _"Akabane-san," Asano Gakushuu greeted._

 _"Asano," Karma responded immediately, "Got that stick outta your ass yet?"_

 _"I see you've not changed since last year," he said, "I'm just letting you know that you shouldn't expect to keep your position as the top of the class for much longer."_

 _"Oh? What're you gonna do about it? Try and take that away from me?_ _I'd like to see you try." Karma responded defiantly. Nagisa rolled his eyes. If Gakushuu really wanted to take the position as top of the class back, the literal last thing he needed to do was challenge Karma for it. Karma never backed down from a challenge._ _Especially_ _if he thought the guy challenging him was kind of a dick._

 _"Is that a challenge, Akabane-san?"_

 _"You bet," Karma sneered. Asano sneered right back before heading into the classroom._

 _"You think that was a smart idea?" Nagisa asked as he watched Asano walk away._

 _"What's wrong with a little friendly competition?" Karma asked innocently. Nagisa blinked._ _ **You don't seem like you're going to make this friendly!**_

As Karma has predicted, his top scores consistently beat Asano's. Although given the caliber of tests Board Chairman Asano developed for them in middle school, many of the exams felt like review instead of learning. Even at the end of their time in high school, Asano could never get the leg up on Karma.

 _"Alright class, I just want to let you know that it has been a privilege to be your home room teacher for the last three years. Your work has been exceptional, and any university or firm would be lucky to have you. Your scores have consistently beaten our expectations. Your class has been the highest scoring class at Kunugigaoka ever. I hope that you all go on to do incredible things." Nagisa shifted in his seat. He would be leaving in a week. "Now, let me announce the final class rankings for your final exam."_

 _She turned around to grab the paper. Nagisa noticed Karma looking particularly smug and Asano gripping his pencil tight._

 _"Scoring a perfect score was Akabane Karma! Congratulations Karma-kun!" There was a round of applause. "Second, by only one point, was Asano Gakushuu!" The pencil snapped and the class went silent._

 _"Ah, my apologies," he said politely. Nagisa was almost certain he could feel bloodlust radiating from Asano. "Go on." Their teacher was a bit disturbed, but continued on anyway. Nagisa kept an eye on Asano. That boy was bad news._

Nagisa jumped as he heard a loud bang outside the door. Alarmed, he turned around, taking out a secondary weapon in case they insisted on coming in. He waited for a minute and heard a vacuum cleaner start. He let out a breath of relief. Just janitorial staff. Their cart probably just hit the door as they were moving it. Nagisa turned back to the scope. The man on the other end of the desk was gone and he saw a blond head poking over the chair. He looked at his watch. _5:52_. Perfect. He let go of the gun for a moment, so he could grab his protective visor and ear plugs. He would have to shoot through a window, and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin his perfect face with glass shards.

He lined up the scope with the window. _Wind is south by southeast._ He adjusted accordingly. He glanced at the building one more time. His target was in range. With only a moment's hesitation he pulled the trigger.

The glass shattered, raining glass all over himself and the gun. He protectively covered his head until it stopped. Even without the scope, he could see that the bullet hole had hit the right window. But had it hit its target?

He looked through the scope. He could see the blood splattered all over the desk. _Perfect._ _Looks like I got a head shot. 50 points to me._ He smirked a little. Morbid humor. Every damn time. Just as he was about to pull away, the curtains moved. Not from the wind of the shattered window, they were moving unnaturally. His heart dropped. Was someone else still in the room?

Nagisa's throat went dry. _Impossible!_

A _very much alive_ Asano Gakushuu was looking directly at him. _If Asano is alive, then who did I kill?!_ He couldn't turn his eyes away. Without looking away, Asano swiveled the chair around to reveal the disfigured and bloody body of the man that Asano had been meeting with. Nagisa's fingers twitched. He felt numb.

Behind you, Asano mouthed.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND WEAPON DOWN!" Nagisa slowly turned around, the gun slipped through his fingers. Ten armed cops blocked his only exit. "PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" This was surreal, how could this be happening. _I can't fight them off._ He knew that much.

Nagisa didn't fight the handcuffs being placed on him. Nor did he try to escape from being walked down to the cop car.

He had been tricked.

He'd lost.

Nagisa sat against the wall of his holding cell with his eyes closed. How did it go wrong? _Why_ did it go wrong? How did Asano know he was being targeted? Was he really being that obvious?

How was he going to get out?

If word got out that the Blue Viper was captured, then his reputation would be damn near worthless in the black market. Nagisa groaned, Lovro probably already knew. If he ever got out of here, he was damn sure that he was going to be dropped. He would be totally out on his own. If he was lucky, some of his connections would come through. _If_ he could get out of here. His cell was locked from the outside by what looked to be a combination key and pass code lock. Even if he could get the key, he'd still be stuck without the code. Also, his handcuffs were already chafing his skin.

Nagisa watched the door as he heard the sounds of a key code being punched and the squeaky hinges swinging. Asano Gakushuu. Nagisa would be surprised, but he was just numb to it at this point.

"Asano," Nagisa greeted, "I'm sorry about the mess, if I knew you were coming I would've tidied my cell up."

"Shiota Nagisa," he sneered ignoring his quip, "Did you really think you could assassinate me?"

"Well, I tried," he said. Nagisa carefully observed Asano. His body confidence was through the roof, he truly believed that he had won. "How did you know I was after you?"

"I have people everywhere, Nagisa. It's incredible what people will do for a little bit of cash. I've been watching you ever since you entered Japan." _So he knew that someone had ordered his assassination..._

"And you just knew when I'd go for the kill?"

"I've known that the building next to mine was an optimum sniping position since I first moved into that office. I knew that any assassin with any brains would pick that spot. As soon as you entered the building, my security guard at the front alerted me." Nagisa frowned. He was disguised, how did the security guard identify him? Something was nagging at him. He was missing something. How had the cops gotten up there without him noticing? Why had they let him go through with the assassination if the cops were alerted when he entered the building?

"And once he alerted you, you alerted the cops," Nagisa said out loud, "But you knew there would be an assassination attempt. I'm guessing the man I actually killed was your higher-up?"

"The Monbusho, my superior."

"Shit," Nagisa swore under his breath. He had vowed not to kill government heads unless given a good enough reason.

"You have also killed the Minister for Finance, and the Minister for Health." Nagisa's eyebrows furrowed. "They are currently on a retreat to their summer homes. Their bodies won't be found for another week." There was a lump in his throat. _He's going to blame me for their murders. But what's his game?_ Nagisa's eyes widened. "But let's not forget the Minister for Economy, Trade, and Industry, nor should we forget the Minister for Justice." Nagisa was cold. "Their cars fell off the road, it'll be a few days before anyone notices."

"You're the one who ordered your own assassination. You requested me." _This isn't some evil plot, this is personal._ Asano smirked. "But why me? What's your end-game?"

"You'll find out soon enough." The door closed and Nagisa took a deep breath. He had really messed up here. His mind replayed the scene over and over again. Had he been more cautious, would this have happened?

Unbeknownst to Nagisa, people all over Japan were receiving the news alert that their Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was assassinated.

Including a certain red-haired government worker.


	5. Karma

**Chapter Five – Karma**

Akabane Karma rolled his eyes for approximately the tenth time that day. He was at lunch with a couple of his officemates. His coworker, Kitamura Miwako had been absentmindedly stirring her coffee when she said, "Have you heard about the assassination?"

 _Yes_ , he had heard about the assassination. That's all anyone had talked about all damn morning. He would be absolutely _shocked_ if there was a single person that worked in the Ministry of Defense who _hadn't_ heard about it. The whole department was up in arms about it. They had somehow let a terrorist through national borders and they had no wind of the plan until it was actually executed.

"Of course we have," Morinaga Takuya said, echoing Karma's thoughts, "We've been working on it all day." Karma let a sigh escape his lips. Today was supposed to be an easy day. He had turned in a proposal yesterday, which _would_ have left his day open until he received feedback from his superiors.

"Not all of us have the luxury of walking in at one pm," Karma drawled. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry that _someone_ has to be up to communicate with our Middle Eastern and European offices. So what's been going on?"

"You'll see the chaos when you walk in," Takuya said, "We've already started working on developing an investigation team to see where the holes in security were. We've got another team working on potential impact and _another_ team working on researching potential security holes in the Minister's security detail. It's a total mess."

"Have we got any leads as to who did it?"

"I've got a friend that works down in the holding cells that says they've actually got a guy in custody," Takuya claimed.

"If they have the guy, why hasn't it been reported?" Karma asked.

"I dunno," Takuya shrugged, "Maybe it's someone high up? Someone in the government, maybe? It's also possible that they have the guy on circumstantial evidence and they don't want to reveal they aren't sure they got the right guy."

"Do you think it's someone in the government?" Miwako asked.

"I dunno," Takuya said with a shrug, "I just would _love_ to know why they killed him. What does he know that we don't?"

"It's got to be a Japanese national," Miwako reasoned, "Who else would have the motivation to kill the MEXT? It's not like he deals in anything outside of Japan." _A Japanese national, huh?_ It made sense. The Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology was not the typical target for assassination, and a political motivation would make the most sense. Although Karma couldn't recall any of his policies as being particularly controversial. He glanced at his watch.

"I've got to go," Karma said, "My team is meeting soon." Takuya and Miwako gave him solemn nods, wishing him the best of luck. This meeting was bound to last for _hours_ , no one was looking forward to it.

This whole affair left a bad taste in Karma's mouth. He didn't care that he had a busy day ahead of him, nor did he even particularly care that a terrorist had flown under the government's radar. Rather, the whole assassin thing…that brought back a lot of bad memories.

"Name," The guard intoned. Karma hated doing this every damn time he left the Ministry.

"Akabane Karma." There was a beep. Vocal recognition passed. He inserted his ID into the slot and placed his hand over the scanner. Another beep. Facial and hand recognition passed. The guard moved to the side, allowing Karma to pass. He grabbed his messenger bag from the x-ray machine and continued onto his office.

Logically, Karma knew that not every single assassin was his friend from high school. _Logically_ , he knew that it was dumb for him to associate the word itself with his friend. Yet, despite all logic, here he was. The whole damn affair was digging up bad memories for him. Memories that he'd rather keep compartmentalized and locked up in his mind.

He logged into his work computer, quickly going over the fifteen e-mails he had received in the last hour. According to internal documents, they _did_ have someone in custody, although there were a lot of questions about whether they would actually indict them. Karma leaned on his hand as he scrolled through the e-mail that very clearly stated that this was confidential over and over again.

"Oi, Akabane-san, the meeting is starting," his boss called.

"Sure, Kawazu-san," Karma responded, grabbing his notebook and logging out of his computer.

Karma sat through the meeting with half-lidded eyes. He offered his opinion whenever he was called upon, but sat with little regard to the situation at hand. Honestly, it was just one guy killed by some insane extremist. All of these planned security measures, pointless. But they had to put up a front for the public and their superiors, so here he was. Stuck in a meeting all day. He tapped his pencil absentmindedly against the table.

Despite himself, his mind began to wander.

 _Akabane Karma pretended not to notice. The way that Nagisa would disappear after classes, the way he would come back winded for their morning classes. Karma just wished that Nagisa would be honest with them about what he was doing. It wasn't like it wasn't totally obvious to anyone in the class what he was doing…_

 _"Nagisa's been gone a lot often, hasn't he?" Kayano commented one day. Karma clenched his fist._

 _"Yeah, he has," he said through gritted teeth. She clutched her school bag against her chest._

 _"He's doing it, isn't he? He's training," she asked quietly._

 _"What else could he be doing?" Karma responded bitterly. Why did Nagisa have to go off and do things on his own? Let alone, why couldn't he have told his friends? It's not like they would've judged…_

 _"Do you think he's going to follow through with it?"_

 _"If he can start training only a few months after_ _ **that**_ _, he's a lot stronger than any of us," Karma responded. He heard her shuffle next to him._

 _"Yeah, I guess he is."_

Karma would be glad when this whole assassination affair was over, god knows what other memories would resurface in the upcoming months. He released a sigh of relief when his boss finally dismissed the team.

"What're you doing after work today?" Yakuta Mori asked. Karma sighed, looking over some of the files he had been handed.

"I suspect that my evening has already been planned out for me," he said, gathering up the documents. Yakuta laughed.

"Same here, I was hoping to watch the game." He pointed towards his own pile of documents to review. "My wife is not going to be happy." Karma thought of the spaniel that was waiting for him at home.

"Yeah, I understand."

"Anyway, see you bright and early tomorrow, Akabane-kun!" Yakuta said, giving Karma a salute as he left the office.

"Yeah, bright and early," he muttered. Karma shuffled the papers, stuffing them into his briefcase. He didn't mind his job, the long hours and the hard work, it was exactly what he wanted to be doing and where he wanted to be. He walked down the long hallway, opting to avoid the rush at the main elevators. It was bound to be rough around this time of year. It was longer, but not by much.

The briefcase weighed heavily in his hands. Yeah, he would be a lot more at peace when this whole affair was over.

"Halt," a guard called. Karma tilted his head.

"What is it this time, Takahito-san?" This better not be a surprise frisk, especially after how the last one ended…

"Criminal passing through," he said, his voice curt and unusually stiff. It was very unlike the fun-loving guard. Criminal? It couldn't possibly be the assassin, could it? Despite himself, he felt excitement course through his veins. In the distance, he heard the pounding of combat boots against the tile. _Lots_ of combat boots, it _was_ a dangerous criminal, at least. Even better.

"Is it him? The assassin?" Karma asked.

"I don't know," Takahito said with the same serious voice. Akabane Karma peered over his shoulder. The group was slow-moving, but from what he could tell, heavily armed. _It is the assassin, it's got to be._ The footsteps were growing closer and closer. Time seemed to slow down as the group crossed his path. Karma couldn't immediately see the criminal, given how the soldiers towered above them. _He's short, not that impressive._ He watched carefully, hoping to just get a glimpse. His breath hitched when the formation broke for just a moment, allowing Karma a look.

The world stopped.

Karma's briefcase clattered to the ground, his whole body frozen. _Impossible._ _**Impossible.**_ The criminal turned towards the source of the noise. Blue eyes met brown and Karma felt like he couldn't breathe. _**IMPOSSIBLE.**_

The group continued onward, totally oblivious to the fact that Karma's entire world had been turned upside down. Every single memory he had been trying to suppress exploded out of him.

 _"Hey, we did it!" Nagisa chirped enthusiastically._

 _"Was there ever any doubt?" Karma said with a smirk, balancing his diploma on his head._

 _"I dunno, I was pretty sure our teacher wanted to kill you after about a week. I'm surprised she made it through the three years." Karma grinned._

 _"Hey, why don't we hang out together tomorrow? Just you and me. We can celebrate finally getting out of this shitty school system." For a fraction of a second, a funny look overcame Nagisa's face. Nagisa didn't think he'd notice, but he noticed. He always noticed._

 _"Sure! Let's do tomorrow," Nagisa agreed with a smile. Karma's heart skipped a beat, as it always did whenever he saw that smile._

He didn't remember picking up his briefcase, pushing the guard to the side, or leaving the building, but it apparently happened. He ran his fingers through his hair. His mind was blank, unsure of what to think. _Nagisa was the assassin._ _ **Nagisa**_ _was_ _ **the**_ _assassin._

But why would _Nagisa_ (oh god it really was him) assassinate the MEXT? How was he caught? The Nagisa he knew was careful and calculating, never careless. There were only rare moments that he showed his vulnerability.

 _"Nagisa?" Karma whispered. The blue-haired boy stood at his doorway, visibly upset. He hadn't seen Nagisa this upset since_ _ **his**_ _death. Nagisa launched himself at Karma, wrapping his arms around him. Karma reciprocated the gesture and mindlessly drew his fingers through the boy's long hair. Karma didn't notice him start crying or even care. All that mattered was them, right then and there. He looked up, and saw Karasuma in the background. He just gave Karma a nod and turned around._

 _This had to do with Nagisa's not-so-secret secret assassin training. Really, did Karasuma and Irina really think that 24 trained killers wouldn't notice the way that Nagisa disappeared for days at a time or that their two assassin teachers were still hanging around? They needed to put a lot more effort into their job._

 _But that didn't matter right now._

 _Karma gently pulled Nagisa into the house, and closed the door. He was sure Nagisa wouldn't be happy to know that the entire neighborhood had seen breakdown. He slid down to the floor so that he and Nagisa were just on their knees. He wasn't quite sure how long Nagisa's legs would hold on him. They stayed like that for as long as Nagisa needed. When Karma finally felt the tears stopping and the shaking slow, he took a good look at him._

 _"Do you want to talk about it?" Nagisa shook his head. That was alright. Karma would wait as long as he needed to._

Nagisa had just made his life a _lot_ more complicated.

Shiota Nagisa tapped his fingers against the table. He had been waiting for a solid hour by his estimates for his interrogators. It was an incredibly predictable technique. Make the perp sweat it out until they're ready to spill everything. It might've worked for a common criminal. But he was not a common criminal

It also hadn't escaped his notice that he had yet to be given a meal. They wanted to starve him out, make him desperate. They wanted to make this process as easy for the interrogators as possible. Nagisa wasn't nervous. He'd been trained to withstand a number of interrogation techniques, most of which were intended for the underground. Japanese interrogations? Piece of cake.

Instead, Nagisa's mind wandered back to the conversation he just had with Asano. He was going to be framed for the murder of five cabinet members (Well, four, he did actually kill the MEXT). Asano's network, however big it may be, was probably going to frame it as an attempted take down of the Japanese government. Nagisa snorted. High treason. That was going to be hard to get out of.

Also, was that _Karma_ he had seen on his walk here?

A long, _long_ time ago, Karma had told him that he was on track for a job in the Ministry of Defense once he finished university and red-hair wasn't exactly a staple in Japan. He hadn't missed Karma's shocked and desperate face. He let out a bitter laugh. Of course, the one person he didn't want to see in Japan. Boy, if he got out of here, he would have a lot of explaining to do. There was no way Karma had any doubts about his identity. What he would do with that information, he had no idea.

The door creaked open, throwing Nagisa out of his thoughts.

A large, middle-aged man in a suit entered. Probably a veteran. Behind him stood younger man with dark brown hair. An obvious newbie. Nagisa mockingly saluted them.

"Nice of you to join me. I'm afraid dinner's already gotten cold." The older man didn't even blink, although the younger man was visibly surprised.

"Shiota Nagisa," the older man boomed, "Born the 20th of July in 1998 in the Yamanashi prefecture. Born to Shiota Hiromi and Shiota Ichirou." Nagisa regarded him boredly. Another classic technique. Make the perp feel as though they have no secrets. "Attended Kunugigaoka Middle School and High School. Graduated 23rd in the class. Never showed up for your first semester at Hosei University." Nagisa leaned on his hand.

"Sounds about right."

"Those close to you say that you got a job at an international business consulting firm." He placed one of Nagisa's business cards on the table. "One that does not exist. Police and eyewitness reports show you turning up all over the world for the next eight years. You're wanted by a lot of people, Shiota."

"Tell me something I don't know," Nagisa said. The interrogator wasn't wrong. There were a number of organizations (and a few governments) that would call for his arrest if they linked him to some of these deaths. Hell, the UAE alone would kill him on sight if they recognized him. Nagisa spared a glance at the younger man, who stood somewhat awkwardly against the wall. _What's his purpose here?_

"Shiota, we have uncovered a number of documents in your hotel room that point to your plans to take down the Japanese government." _Planted._ "It's some pretty damning evidence." _I believe it._ _Asano was never known for doing things half-assed._

"I was framed," Nagisa said.

"Shiota, we have you at the scene of the crime with illegally smuggled arms. You had, quite literally, a smoking gun. In your hotel room, we found your entire plan to take down the government. All of this will be used as evidence against you. You will spend the rest of your life in jail. _If_ you confess, we can work out a deal. It could keep you from getting the death penalty." _Keep me from death penalty? For treason? Unlikely. A blatant lie._

"I'm innocent." Mostly. The older man gestured towards the younger man. The brunette pressed a button on the camera. They were starting the _real_ interrogation now, weren't they? Nagisa regarded them coolly. He stiffened when the older man moved towards him. He roughly grabbed the back of Nagisa's head, pulling his hair. He slammed Nagisa's head against the table. His vision went black for a moment and dizziness took over his vision. He involuntarily coughed.

"Do you really think it matters, Shiota? Do you really think your innocence will endear you to the public?" Nagisa froze. The man's face was inches from his own. "We know you abandoned your friends, and soon the public will know that you killed our Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Can you imagine the look on your mother's face when she learns who you really are?" The man pulled back on his head, and exposed Nagisa's neck. A move he knew would make the assassin incredibly uncomfortable.

"Imagine the looks on your friend's faces when they realize how you've changed?" Nagisa's grip tightened on the chair. _This man was in Asano's camp,_ he realized slowly. This was pointless. He wouldn't break. "Do you even have friends anymore, Shiota? What a lonely existence you have to live." Nagisa couldn't break his eyes away from the man. He wasn't wrong. It wasn't easy being a lone wolf.

The man smirked. He finally backed off and stepped back to the other side of the table. Nagisa's eyes followed him. "You and your team are going to be doomed to die. Asano-sama will make sure of it." Nagisa almost sighed.

Although…

Team? What team?

He didn't have a good feeling about this.

Karma's thoughts hadn't calmed any since he made it home. He was restless and he couldn't sit for more than a minute before he began pacing again. He slammed his fist against the wall, hoping the pain would take him out of it. He needed to tell _someone_. He let out a yell, roughly grabbing his keys. He slammed the door behind him, pounding his feet towards an apartment that he rarely visited.

He knocked loudly, not bothering to muffle anything despite the fact it was getting late. He heard swearing and shuffling inside the apartment. Karma probably just interrupted a very serious video game session. Somehow, Karma had a hard time feeling bad for the occupant. After a moment, the door opened. The occupant scowled when he realized who was at the door.

"Shithead, I said never to stop by again after what happened last time," he growled.

"Nice to see you too, Terasaka."

"Look, asshole, I don't know why you're here, but it's getting late. What the hell do you want?" Karma pushed his way into the apartment, ignoring the way Terasaka protested.

"I need to talk to you _now_ ," Karma said, urgently. Any further protests died on his lips when he saw the raw desperation and shock on Karma's face. The man scowled and closed the door.

"What is it? Let's make it quick."

"I saw Nagisa," Karma said simply. Terasaka cocked his head, his face momentarily blank.

"Nagisa? From accounting?" he asked dumbly. Karma scowled. His friend was too damn dense.

"No, _Shiota_ Nagisa."

"What?!" He exclaimed, "Shiota Nagisa? What was he doing here? I thought he'd've been long gone or long dead by now."

"He was on his way to interrogation," Karma explained.

"Interrogation?" Terasaka repeated. Realization hit him hard. "Then he was-! Holy shit, dude!"

"He's the guy we have in custody for the assassination," Karma said. Talking this out was helping, his heart was going back to a normal pace.

"Holy _shit!_ I never thought the dude would make it back to Japan, let alone for something like this. Why do you think he did it?"

 _"What kind of life you do want to live?" Karma asked. Nagisa looked up at him and blinked._

" _That's kind of a strange question to ask. Why are you bringing it up now?" Karma carefully regarded Nagisa. It was annoying to pretend like he didn't know that Nagisa was undergoing "secret" assassin training._

" _Well, we're graduating soon. Apparently we have to think about our futures now."_

" _You don't have to if you don't want to," Nagisa teased, "What do you want to do?"_

" _I_ _ **apparently**_ _need to go to university. I pestered Karasuma repeatedly to get me a job in the Ministry of Defense and he says he'll do what he can once I graduate. I'll be heading to Tokyo University."_

" _Eh? Really? Though I guess with your scores, you'd blow away the entrance exam. So you still want to be a bureaucrat?"_

" _Of course," Karma said, "I intend to be senior advisor to the Minister for Defense one day." Nagisa smiled._

" _As senior advisor to the Minister, what do you want to do?" Karma blinked. He had never really thought that far._

" _I dunno. I'll figure it out when I get there." Nagisa offered him a smile. "What do you want to do anyway?" Karma watched as Nagisa got a far-away look in his eyes. Karma didn't know what that meant but he didn't like it._

" _Well, I'd like to do some good in the world," Nagisa said quietly. He stared off into the distance. Karma didn't ask how. He didn't want to know._

"I don't know," Karma admitted quietly, "I don't think he did. It's not something he would do." The Nagisa he knew would never kill people without reason. He wouldn't go after government officials just for fun.

"You don't think he did?" Terasaka repeated, incredulous. "The dude makes a living _killing_ people. He's not exactly the shining beacon of morality." He crossed his arms. "What the hell do you know about him anyway? He's been gone for eight years now, he could've changed for the worse."

"He wouldn't! You didn't know him like I did!"

"Yeah? The same guy that abandoned everyone without a word?" he countered. "Why do you even care, anyway?" Karma scowled. "Just let him be."

"You _know_ why I couldn't do that," Karma hissed. Terasaka rolled his eyes.

"Really? _Still?_ That can't be healthy, dude." He met Karma's glare. "What the hell do you want to do about it anyway?" This was where Karma was stuck. He had the vague makings of a plan in his head, although he doubted Terasaka would be happy to participate. He needed to see Nagisa, he needed to know more. He had so many questions to ask…

He needed more information.

"We need to get more info," he said, "Then we'll figure it out from there."

"No, _you'll_ figure it out from there," Terasaka corrected, "I don't want any part of this." Karma brushed the dismissal off. Terasaka would help whether he liked it or not. It was just how things worked. "What the hell do you even want to do?"

"If we can get an ear into the interrogation– "

"No," Terasaka said, "Besides, the interrogation rooms are unwired. They record the interrogations on physical camcorders, they aren't connected to any system. We would need to get the camcorders and NO, we are not stealing _evidence_ from the government. _Especially_ not the one that signs our paychecks." Karma scowled. "Come up with another idea."

"Can you see who's doing the interrogation and where he's being held?"

"Yes to the first, no to the second."

"Are you sure about that?" Karma leveled Terasaka with a serious stare. Terasaka scowled.

" _Maybe_ , if I do my digging. But you're forgetting, unlike you fucking policy wonks, I have actual work to do. I can't just decide to _hack the fucking government_ just because I fucking feel like it. I have deadlines." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

"And outside of work?"

"I am _not_ doing work outside of the office." Terasaka moved from the wall. "Look, I'll get you the names of the interrogators, and I'm doing you a _favor_ doing this, remember that." He opened the door and pushed Karma out, slamming the door behind him.

Well, that went better than expected.

—

Karma sat impatiently in his cubicle the next day. He was desperately awaiting Terasaka's text. In the meantime, he was scouring through headlines, trying to find literally anything about the assassination. Domestic news wasn't reporting anything new and international news was focused on the death of a CEO of some major international children's non-profit. Apparently he had been using volunteers to support a major human trafficking network or something. While interesting, it wasn't what he was looking for. There was an information black out about the finer details of the assassination. Maybe he could sneak down to the police headquarters and try and get some internal documents…

Karma's phone buzzed. He glanced over the screen. **1 Message from Terasaka.** Karma quickly unlocked the phone, opening the messaging app. His heart pounded against his ribcage. It had only five words in it. **Sakubara Mokichi and Shinozaki Kaoru.**

Shinozaki? He was very well known in the Ministry. He was pretty high up on the totem pole in the interrogation department. He had been working for the department for years. They were not taking his crimes lightly. The other name…

Karma frowned. Sakubara Mokichi was an odd choice. Shinozaki normally worked with other senior members of the Ministry. He occasionally taught training sessions, but typically avoided other newbies. Karma wouldn't have even recognized the name if it weren't for Terasaka bitching about the newbies he and the rest of the Personnel Management division were training. According to Terasaka, he was some pretentious kid that held his head too high because he had written a paper on the Art of War like he was soooo intelligent for understanding it.

So what was an annoying newbie doing with a senior member of the interrogation squad? Something was fishy, Karma knew that much.

When he wasn't at a work computer, he was definitely going to do some research on this kid. If he was lucky, he might be able to dig something up. Karma's phone buzzed again. He glanced over, hoping it was a text from Terasaka saying that he had changed his mind on stealing the camera footage from the interrogation room. His heart dropped. It was a news alert.

 **Suspect in custody for MEXT Assassination**

He stared at his phone numbly. The information black-out was coming to an end. If he wanted to get information on Nagisa without seeming suspicious, he needed to act fast.

He twirled a pencil between his finger, thinking. His mind was in overdrive. His mind kept replaying the words that Nagisa had said to him years and years ago. _"I'd like to do some good in the world._ " Karma could barely remember what Nagisa's voice even sounded like now. But everything Nagisa had ever done was for good. Karma couldn't attest to how Nagisa had changed in the last eight years. But Karma's gut told him that his resolve hadn't changed that much.

So where did the assassination of the Minister for Education fit into this? Disagreement over _educational_ policy wasn't enough for a goddamn death order. Karma unlocked his phone, picking the first of many articles that were on the subject. They weren't detailed, only stating that he was found in his office by a secretary. The articles promised that they would be updated as more information became available. Karma scowled. Useless. His phone buzzed again.

 **1 Message from Terasaka.**

 **I don't want any more involvement in this.**

Karma ignored it. If he wanted Terasaka involved, he'd be involved. Something was up and he'd get to the bottom of it.

He owed Nagisa that much.


	6. The Idea

**Chapter Six – The Idea**

Karma knew exactly where he had to start if he wanted to get more information on Nagisa. There was only one person who knew about Nagisa's departure eight years ago, and there was only one person that that Nagisa would contact upon arrival.

Shiota Hiromi.

But that didn't mean he had to be happy about.

 _Karma knocked on the door to the Shiota residence. He and Nagisa had planned to meet up at his house before they went to lunch, but his friend hadn't shown up. Karma pushed away the worry that was nagging at him. He was sure that Nagisa had just overslept or had gotten sick or something._

 _Although, that wouldn't explain why Nagisa hadn't responded to his texts. Or why his phone number was coming up as disconnected. It had to just been an error on his end._

 _Right?_

 _Shiota Hiromi answered. "Ah, Karma-kun, how are you?" Karma pushed away his disdain for her._

" _Is Nagisa here?" She blinked, surprised._

" _He didn't tell you?" she asked. Karma wondered why there was a lump in his throat. He was sure that it was nothing big._

 _Right?_

" _Tell me what?" Karma asked, tilting his head. Why were his palms sweaty? Nagisa had to be here._

" _He got a job at an international business consulting firm! I'm so proud of him! I thought it was odd that they didn't want a college education for him, but they tested him and he passed with flying colors!" Karma's heart dropped. Nah, Nagisa was still here, right? "I even spoke to his boss! Oh, what was his name?"_

" _Karasuma?" Karma prompted._

" _No, no, that wasn't it…" It definitely couldn't have been it, Nagisa couldn't have done it…_

" _Lovro?" He prompted, the name sounding wrong against his tongue. It was impossible, he couldn't have left with him._

" _That was it!" she exclaimed. He clenched his fists and Karma's vision went red._ _ **How dare he?!**_

" _He went off with_ _ **him**_ _and he didn't even bother telling me?!" Hiromi froze, surprised by Karma's sudden outburst. "Where the hell is he now?!"_

" _I-I'm not sure," she stuttered, "He mentioned something about working in India, I think?" She stepped back at Karma's furious face. "Why are you upset, Karma-kun? I'm sure he'll be back soon enough." His fingernails dug into his palms. Why did Nagisa have to leave today of all days? He couldn't even describe what he was feeling right now. Fury, betrayal, and heartbreak, all at once._

 _ **Today**_ _was the day he was finally going to confess. He loved that stupid blue-haired boy. And now he was gone._

 _Maybe forever._

Karma never actively interacted with the woman, but occasionally ran into each other at the same lunch spot. With this in mind, he took the day off, feigning sickness. Shiota Hiromi was a woman of habit, and he knew that she would show up there sooner or later. He swirled his spoon around his tea. While he liked the bistro, it wasn't one his favorites. It was overpriced and further away than he would normally like to travel. He boredly regarded the large LCD TVs that were currently set to the news. The subtitles told him that they were discussing the unexpected downswing in the JPX following a recently released growth report. Nothing that particularly interested Karma.

Especially after _three hours_ of reading the same goddamn headline. If it weren't for the computer game on his laptop, he would've gone _insane._ He looked up as he heard the clanging of bells, as he had been doing _every single time_ he heard that goddamn ringing. His jaw dropped.

Holy shit, it was actually her. She was every bit as predictable as she had always been.

He closed his mouth and recovered himself. He waved at her with the kindest smile he could give (which wasn't very kind at all). "Hiromi-san!" He called out. She stopped, momentarily surprised. He could see the hesitation in her step as she approached him.

"Karma-kun! I haven't seen you in years!" Hiromi exclaimed, her voice fake and cheerful. She never liked him. He didn't blame her.

"Ah, Hiromi-san, it's nice to see you again," he said politely. He sipped at his drink.

"Same to you. How's the Ministry of Defense treating you?"

"It's been fine. How have you been?"

"Just fine, Karma. Did you know that Nagisa-kun's back in the country now? He stopped by to talk. I think he's up for a promotion." Karma thought back to Nagisa being surrounded by ten armed guards.

"Yeah, I actually met up with him," Karma lied, "We had, ah, a short conversation."

"That's good! I know you were upset when he left without telling you. I'm glad to see that he came to reconcile with you. He's really matured."

"I'm glad he got the chance to meet with you as well." Karma's hand twitched. He hated small talk. He just wanted to get to what he needed to know. He felt his phone buzz. _Goddamn it, Terasaka not now._ "Did he happen to mention why had come back to Japan? Our conversation wasn't, ah, quite that polite."

"He didn't tell you? He's back in town to meet with his bosses. He seemed to think he'd only be in town for two to three weeks, although I expect he'll hear about getting a promotion at his corporate offices soon." _Two-three weeks. If he was in for a big assassination hit, he'd be in for longer. There's no way the Minister was his target._

"Do you know where he's staying?"

"He's in some hotel downtown. I offered to let him stay at our house, but he refused." Karma avoided snorting, he could imagine why.

"Would you happen to have his contact info? We kind of left on a bad note, and I want to apologize." Hiromi gave him a sweet smile.

"I'm glad to see you've grown up, Karma-kun." She reached into her purse, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and a pen. Behind her, he saw the screen cut away from the woman talking about finance news to BREAKING NEWS. Karma's heart dropped, he didn't have a good feeling about this.

T **he suspect arrested in the assassination of the Minister for Education, Culture, Sports, Technology, and Science has been identified** , the subtitles read. Karma's eyes widened. His time had just run out.

His eyes shot back to the woman hunched over the table scribbling down Nagisa's phone number. Karma's breath hitched as Nagisa's mugshot appeared in screen. _Shit._

Time slowed down as Shiota Hiromi looked up. **The suspect is identified as Shiota Nagisa, a Japanese National.** The pen and paper fell out of her hands, clattering to the ground. Her face contorted in horror and Karma had to look away.

"No," she whispered. Karma couldn't help but feel a little bad for her, despite everything. She was probably the only one that honestly had no idea about Nagisa's real career. Her eyes were fixated on the screen.

"Did you know?" she whispered, not looking away for a moment.

Karma wasn't sure what to respond.

Somewhere not too far away, a housewife exclaimed as she saw the news report. "Irina!" she exclaimed, "Isn't that the student you met with a week ago?!"

"Huh?" Irina said, confused. Akemi handed her phone to her friend. Irina glanced over the headline. Her grip tightened. She looked up in total fury and disappointment.

"Isn't that him?" Akemi asked excitedly.

"THAT _IDIOT_!" Irina swore.

Karma tapped his pen incessantly against his kitchen table. Something was off about this whole affair, and he had no idea what. There was a voice in the back of his head (that sounded suspiciously like Terasaka), that was telling him to drop this. To let the justice system take care of it.

But this was a challenge, and he _never_ steered away from a challenge.

Karma pulled out an old notebook from his bookshelf, flipping through old class notes until he got to a blank page. He began to scribble down his thoughts.

1\. Nagisa said he would be in and out in two weeks.

Perhaps this wasn't as strange as Karma thought. Maybe Nagisa was so confident in his abilities as an assassin that he thought he could go in and kill the Minister and get out just as quickly? Karma frowned.

2\. Why the Minister?

Nagisa didn't seem like the type to kill a man for political purposes. Nagisa always wanted to make a difference in the world. Where did the death of a cabinet member fall into that? What did Nagisa know about him that they didn't? There weren't any past scandals that Karma knew about. Did he have involvement in the underground?

3\. The interrogation team was strange.

This was a much harder point to refute. Karma didn't work in the interrogation department, but he knew enough about it to know that there was no reason for a newbie to be with a veteran interrogator. _Especially_ if the criminal was as dangerous as an assassin. Why was a virtual unknown down there with him?

He didn't know.

He hesitated as he wrote down the next point.

4\. It just wasn't something Nagisa would do.

Karma felt a lump in his throat. He had no idea what Nagisa had gone through in the last eight years. For all he knew, his former best friend was an amoral murderer, ready to kill any and every one. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew that people changed. Hell, in the last eight years _he_ had definitely changed. Who was he to say that Nagisa wouldn't do something like this? He smiled bitterly. Nagisa had proven eight years ago that he could be heartless when he needed to be.

Karma sighed and sat back on his bed. Parts of this case were suspicious, but there was nothing conclusive. Nagisa was caught assassinating the Minister, he was arrested, interrogated, and now he was probably going to get tried and thrown in jail. He buried his head in his hands. He'd always wanted to see Nagisa again, but never like this. His stupid friend had been caught with a literal smoking g—

Karma bolted up. He was caught with a _literal_ smoking gun. If the police knew that Nagisa had plans to assassinate a cabinet member, why hadn't they stopped him before the act was committed? If they didn't, why were they there so soon after he had killed the minister? Shouldn't Nagisa have had some time to put the weapons away?

He pulled out his computer, furiously entering the URL to the Tokyo Police Department. He scrolled through the police dispatch archives, hoping to find what he was looking for. The internal documents stated that he was killed last Friday around six pm. That easily narrowed down what dispatched records to look at.

Karma scrolled through the documents. There should be dispatch records indicating a police presence of some sort around the building. Yet, as he scrolled through the records, _there was nothing._ There was not a single emergency call to the building in which Nagisa was arrested, nor was there even police nearby. Karma furrowed his brows. He quickly logged into his work's remote online system, hoping to see anything about the Special Forces being involved in the arrest. Yet as he scrolled through their dispatch records, there appeared to be none. If the Special Forces AND the Police were not there that night…then…

Then who the hell arrested Nagisa?

Karma's phone buzzed. **One Message from Isogai Yuuma.**

 **Hey, we were stuck in a meeting all day. We just saw the news. If you want to come talk, you can always stop by the café or our apartment.**

Karma stood up, grabbing his coat. Isogai was smart, maybe he could work through Karma's disjointed thoughts. If his suspicions were right (and he was pretty sure they were), then there was something more to this case. He was beginning to think Nagisa was framed. But if he was right, and his friend was innocent…

What was he going to do about it?

Karma opened the door to the Pink Octopus Maid Café. A busty girl wearing a very short skirt and a pink wig greeted him. Maehara's idea, no doubt.

"Good afternoon, sir!" she chirped, "Do you have a reservation?" He gave her a serious stare. She faltered.

"Are Isogai and Maehara in the back?"

"Ah, yes," she said, "May I inquire as to your business here today?"

"No," he said curtly, already moving past her. If he had turned around, he would have seen her scowl at his back, but he didn't particularly care at the moment. He had other things to worry about. He took a quick look around. They'd made some interior decorating changes since he'd last visited them. At least the octopus portraits on the walls were new. He pushed open the door to their backroom, satisfied to see the two people he was looking for in the back.

"Karma!" Isogai exclaimed, surprised to see him there so soon. They were already done up in their butler uniforms. "I guess you got my text."

"Yeah, holy shit, we couldn't believe the news when we saw it," Maehara said, "I mean, at least we know what he's been up to."

"Where is Kayano?"

"She's in the kitchen, want me to grab her?" Maehara asked. Karma nodded. He watched Maehara push open the double doors to the kitchen, calling out to the girl. Karma sat calmly, trying to figure out the best way to phrase his thoughts. Moments later, a black-haired girl poked her head out.

"This better be important," she muttered, "I have a lot of prep to do for this evening." She looked at Karma, who gave her a short wave. "Is it about the news?"

Karma took a deep breath. Best to start from the beginning. "I saw him." Silence reigned in the room.

"So you _saw_ him? What happened? Did he acknowledge you?" Maehara asked.

"I think he saw me, but he was on his way to interrogation. He was flanked by about ten heavily armed guards." Maehara whistled.

"They must know he's dangerous," Isogai reasoned, "How are you doing though, Karma? It can't have been easy to see him again." That was an understatement.

"It was a shock," he said honestly, "I never expected to see him again." Isogai nodded solemnly. Karma closed his eyes. He and Isogai had never been particularly close in high school, but they had formed a sort of tentative friendship through college and adulthood. He probably knew more about Karma's feelings than anyone else (Terasaka included).

"We saw the mugshot, he's changed a lot, hasn't he?" Isogai said.

"I guess," Karma said. He leaned against his arm. "I think there's more to this story than what's being reported." _That_ caught their attention.

"What are you talking about, Karma?" Kayano asked, crossing her arms.

"It's just suspicious to me," he said, "Nagisa comes back to Japan for the first time in _years_ to assassinate a government official that only deals in internal affairs? What's in it for him? The MEXT's policies weren't even particularly controversial either."

"Well, Nagisa works in the black market. They probably have information that we don't," Isogai reasoned.

"There's been no indication of that," Karma said, "The dude was a father of two and had a loving wife. Nothing indicates foul play on his part." He sat back. "I looked into police records and special force dispatch logs, and there's no record of _anyone_ being there during the time of his arrest." He carefully watched their reactions. Maybe they could figure something out. Something _other_ than the crazy idea floating around in his head.

"What do you mean?" Maehara questioned, "Maybe a security guard got him?"

"Do you really think a security guard could take down Nagisa?" Kayano prompted, "He's been a professional assassin for eight years now, a rent-a-cop has nothing on him. Karma, what are you trying to say?"

"It's just suspicious to me," he said flatly, "Even if the police were alerted ahead of time, there should be some indication of a police presence in the records." His heart pounded. _Please, come to the same conclusion as me._ "I think there might be foul play at work."

"Like, a conspiracy?" Maehara asked, getting straight to the point.

"I got Terasaka to send me the names of the men interrogating him, and it was an odd duo. When interrogating a suspect, especially a high level suspect like Nagisa, we would normally send our most experienced men. But this time there was an experienced member and a newbie on the team. It's unusual and out of protocol." He leaned forward over the table. "Finally, I spoke with Nagisa's mother. She said that she had met with him, and that he was intending only to be in Japan for two to three weeks. If it was really as big a job as this, why would he only be in Japan for such a short period of time? From what I remember of Nagisa, he was meticulous." The three stared at him.

He felt a lump in a throat as he finally voiced his thoughts. "I think he was framed."

"You're crazy," Maehara muttered, running his fingers through his hair, "You think Nagisa was framed? By who? Why?"

"I don't know," Karma said after a moment, "I don't. But…but I think he's innocent."

"Karma, he _kills_ people for his job," Isogai reminded, "He's not exactly the picture of innocence."

"You can't deny the evidence," Karma protested, "Everything about his arrest is suspicious! Procedures are being skipped! Why would he kill the MEXT Minister? He's not someone to do anything for a paycheck!"

" _So what do you want to do?" Karma asked._

" _I want to make sure I do good in the world," Nagisa responded, looking up at the sky, "I want to make the world a better place."_

"You don't know that!" Maehara said, pounding his fist into the table. Isogai gently placed his hand on Maehara's back. The blond sat back, giving Karma a level stare.

"He's right," Kayano said softly, "Nagisa, at his core, was a gentle person, and I refuse to believe that he would kill without reason."

"We don't know that he killed without reason," Isogai said, "We don't know much about the Minister's personal life. Maybe there was a hit on him because of that."

"That wouldn't explain why Nagisa was caught," Karma defended, "Or why there were _no_ records of a police or military presence there the night of the capture." He pulled out his tablet, swiping through to find the documents he was looking for. He turned it around so that the three could see. "According to the records, he was arrested at around 18:00 hours. If you notice, all of the police who were remotely close to the area were called away around 17:30 hours, leaving the closest police presence about 25 minutes away." Kayano scrolled through the records, a frown on her face. Maehara and Isogai glanced over her shoulder. Isogai furrowed his brows.

"It's got to be a coincidence," Maehara reasoned, "No one's got that kind of power."

"Why were they redirected elsewhere?" Kayano asked, "Was there crime or something?"

"It was for a number of reasons. A reported robbery to the south, a domestic dispute in the north, a car accident to the west," Karma explained, "But all of these reports came in at around the same time."

"Who says it can't have been Nagisa calling these reports in so he could do his assassination?" Maehara asked, "I don't think that's enough evidence."

"Then who arrested him?" Karma pushed, "Tell me, Maehara? Who was there to have the authority to arrest him?" Maehara didn't have a response.

"Maybe he was incapacitated and then found?" Isogai suggested.

"His arrest record clearly states 17:56 hours, The Minister was killed at 17:54 hours," Karma countered, "Not possible." Isogai sat back in his chair.

"Okay, fine, whatever. He was supposedly arrested at a time when it was impossible for any proper authority to arrest him. _Fine._ Suppose we believe that, suppose we believe that he was framed. What do you want us to do about it?" Maehara asked. Karma's hand twitched. He knew what he wanted to do, but it was going to be a hard sell.

"I think we should rescue him."

"No," Maehara said instantly. He crossed his arms. "He's the one that decided to be an assassin. He knew the risks going into it. He's probably got a contingency plan. Why the hell should we risk everything we've built up in the last four years to help someone who, might I remind you, abandoned us?"

"I'm in," Kayano said.

"What?!" Maehara exclaimed, his eyes shooting to the black-haired girl, "Are you crazy?! If he's innocent, then let the courts figure that out! We shouldn't get involved."

"I'm inclined to agree with Hiroto," Isogai said, "We don't know all the facts, so we shouldn't get involved. Who knows what could go wrong?"

"Nagisa was always there when we needed him in high school. I don't know why he left without telling us, nor do I know what he was doing assassinating the minister, but I do know that he wouldn't do something without a just cause," Kayano reasoned.

"But why is it up to _us_ to help him?" Maehara demanded, "Why should _we_ sacrifice all we've worked for to help him?!"

"Who else could possibly know about this?" Karma said evenly, "Moreover, who else could do anything about it?"

"Who says we can do anything about it?" Isogai responded, "I'm not sure you quite understand what this would entail _if_ we agreed. We would have to break into the _Ministry for Defense_ , find one of their highest security holding cells, get Nagisa, and then get out. All without getting caught on camera or triggering an emergency response. We do not have the skills for that, Karma-kun." Karma gritted his teeth. Isogai's words held some truth. They had not kept up the intense training regime that they had learned in middle school. Even with Terasaka and himself as inside men, they couldn't guarantee that they could pull it off.

"But, if Karma is right, and Nagisa was framed. How can we guarantee that he'd get a fair trial? Could you stand by and watch as our friend was put in prison for the rest of his life for something he didn't do?" Kayano said. She leaned forward. "I couldn't." Silence reigned in the room as they thought her words over.

"He may have left us, but that doesn't erase the fact that we were once friends and comrades," Karma finished. Maehara slammed his fist into the table, frustration finally getting the better of him.

"God damn it," he swore. Maehara's fist was clenched tightly as he thought over Kayano and Karma's words. "If we're caught, we'd be charged with _treason_."

" _If_ we're caught," Karma reminded, "We can come up with a plan, we'll get him out of there with minimal risks to us." _You can't guarantee that,_ Karma silently reminded himself.

"But what if we get there and we realize he's guilty, what then, Karma?" Isogai asked. Karma didn't have a response for him.

"Then we turn around and pretend like this never happened," Kayano said for him, "But I'm sure he's innocent. He wouldn't have done something like this." Maehara gritted his teeth, thinking over their words. "Think of all the good times you and Nagisa had together in high school. Think of that, do you really think that man would kill someone without reason? Do you _really_ think he deserves to be in jail for the rest of his life?" Maehara's knuckles were white. He glanced back at Isogai, who hesitantly gave him a nod.

"Fine, we'll fucking do it."

"Only, and _only_ if we can come up with a plan that minimizes our involvement," Isogai jumped in.

"Good, I have a fist that has a long-awaited appointment with Nagisa's face," Kayano said. Isogai and Maehara shivered, turning back to the red-haired government worker.

"So, what do we do now?"


	7. The Plan

**Chapter Seven – The Plan**

Isogai and Maehara closed the café early that night, giving their employees some extra time off. It was only with the silence of the night bearing down upon them and the streetlights beaming through the windows that they began to discuss their plans. They had a monumental task in front of them, and yet their "plan" was rougher than even an outline, like scraps of paper thrown together. They tried to pull the pieces together, but one thing was becoming _very_ clear _very_ quickly.

They were still too few.

At the very least, Karma could guarantee Terasaka's involvement. He'd bitch and moan about it, but he'd get involved (Karma had already texted him to come over and help out). As for anyone else, they were at a loss.

"Who else could we call?" Kayano asked, scribbling down on a notepad.

"We need be careful about asking people," Maehara said, "We've got to make sure it's people that we trust."

"I don't think there's anyone we know who'd tell anyone about our plans, even if they don't want to help," Kayano said, "Everyone respected Nagisa to some extent." It was hard not to, especially after the emotional turmoil he went through after the death of their third year middle school teacher.

"What about Sugino-san?" Isogai suggested, "They were pretty close in middle school, and I think they still hung out a lot in high school, even though he didn't go to Kunugigaoka."

"Yeah, but he's a major league player. He's probably super busy, especially with the season starting soon," Maehara shot down. He leaned on his arm, mumbling, "Even though, he's probably the most physically fit out of all of us."

"Rio?" Karma suggested.

"They were also pretty good friends," Maehara agreed, "She'd jump at the chance to do something more exciting than her law classes." He yawned, the day catching up to him. Kayano added her name.

"Chiba-san?" Kayano suggested, "With his and Rinka-san's gunwork, they could be a good support team."

"No good," Isogai said, stretching, "Rinka-san's pregnant."

"She's pregnant?!" Kayano screeched, "When did this happen!?"

"She announced it a couple weeks ago, she's about ten weeks along."

"We should cross out Sumire-san and Taisei-san too, she's pregnant again," Maehara interjected.

"Again?! How do you even know this?! Anyone else pregnant that I don't know about?!"

"Well, we try and keep in contact with our old friends, Kaede," he said sarcastically.

"Everyone posts everything online anyway," Isogai added, "I believe we sent them a nice card when they announced." Maehara nodded in agreement. Kayano made a frustrated sound. Karma couldn't blame her, he had no idea about any of this either.

"Anyway, what about Okano?"

"She's a possibility. Write her name down. Also add Kanzaki and Sugaya, I don't know if either will be up to it, but it's worth a shot.

"What about Okuda?" Karma questioned. Although she had decided to go to a tech school, she still remained friends with them throughout high school.

"She's abroad," Isogai informed. He tapped his fingers against the table, "She's working for some Pharma company in America. She moved two years ago." That wasn't surprising, she had gotten a pretty good scholarship to get her master's out there.

"Good for her," Karma said. Kayano crossed her name off of the list. It was a shame, she would have been a great asset to the team. God knows she'd figure out crazy ways to keep guards distracted. "What about Okajima-san?" Kayano looked up with a disgusted look on her face.

"The Celebrity Public Enemy #1?" Kayano questioned. Karma shrugged, he wasn't ideal personality-wise…

"He knows his way around cameras, we might need that," Karma reasoned. Kayano scowled and reluctantly jotted his name down.

"I can reach out to him and Megu-san," Isogai suggested, "No offense Karma, but I don't think she'd react too well to you." Karma shrugged. For some reason he had that effect.

"I can talk to Okano-san and Rio," Maehara offered "Oh! What about Fuwa-san? She'd jump at a chance to do something like this."

"You can give her a call, worst she'd say is no," Isogai reasoned. "Karma, what kind of timeline were you thinking for this?" The group looked expectantly at him. Karma paused. He didn't have an immediate answer for Isogai (he hadn't thought that far). On one hand, if they waited too long, it would become harder to retrieve Nagisa from the Ministry. Nagisa was due for an indictment trial soon, after that, it was very likely that he would get moved to a higher security cell not long after. Karma shivered at the thought, at that point, it would be almost impossible to get to him. Although, if they moved before they were truly ready, they were much more likely to make mistakes.

He grimaced. He couldn't stand the thought of Nagisa stuck in a cell. _Especially_ if he was innocent. He tapped his fingers against the table.

"Two weeks," he declared. There was a smattering of disbelief around the table.

"Two weeks?!" Isogai cried, "That's a little quick, don't you think, Karma? Do I have to remind you that we are untrained amateurs that are planning to break into the Ministry of Defense's highest security cells? A month, _maybe_ we could do. _If_ and only if we can get others to agree to help us."

"Between Terasaka and myself, we should be able to figure something out that will put us at minimal risk." Isogai rubbed his temples, trying to comprehend the enormity of what they had gotten themselves into.

"I can't believe you got us to agree to this," he muttered, "If we get caught…."

"We won't get caught," Kayano assured, "We'll take every precaution we can." Isogai wasn't convinced.

"We can't guarantee that," he said, "If we get caught, we're going to lose everything, you realize that, Kaede?" She scowled.

"Do you think I don't know that!?" She cried, standing up, "I'm doing this because I would hate myself every day for the rest of my life if I didn't!" Isogai's eyes softened. He understood.

They were thrown out of their argument as the door slammed open. "What the hell am I doing here?" Terasaka growled. He regarded the crowd in front of him. "Are we finally doing a fucking intervention for Karma's eight year gay crisis?" Karma brightly greeted him.

"We're breaking Nagisa out," he said bluntly. Isogai and Maehara winced. When it was put that way…

"What the hell are you going on about?" Terasaka gave the other three a sidelong glance. "God damn it, Karma, I told you I didn't want any part of this. Now you've dragged these three into it?! Do you even understand what you're trying to do?!" Karma gave him a level gaze. He passed the tablet to Terasaka. "What the hell is this?"

"Just read it," he said.

"I'm not going to fucking read it until you tell me what it is, fucktard."

"Nagisa was framed."

"Yeah, sure," he said, rolling his eyes, "And you don't have a gay crush on him." Karma gritted his teeth, why did Terasaka always have to go straight for touchy subjects? "You're not exactly the most objective source of information."

"Just look at the goddamn arrest report," he said, pushing the tablet on him. Begrudgingly, Terasaka began looking through the documents (though not without one last glare at Karma). His eyes widened and shot up to Karma. Karma couldn't help but feel a little smug.

"This makes no sense."

"That's what I said. What do you think about the interrogation team?"

"I don't know shit about how the interrogation department works, dude. It's not enough evidence for what you want to do. Let the courts figure this shit out."

"If he's being framed, then these documents may not even come into play," Kayano pointed out, "Terasaka-kun, do you really think Nagisa would be the type of guy to do something like this?"

"I don't know, Kayano," he said dryly, "I didn't know him back then and I sure as fuck don't know him now. Why the hell are you guys so determined to save him anyway? Didn't he ditch you guys without saying good-bye?"

"He's was our friend," Kayano said, "I'm sure he _still_ considers us friends." She stood up. "Even if you weren't friends, hell, _even_ if you didn't like him, _we're_ still going to do this. It's up to you if you want to see us succeed." Terasaka tched, giving them all incredulous stares. His eyes caught Kayano's notepad. He snatched it from her.

"You assholes are dragging other people into this too!?"

"Yes, we're contacting other people soon," Isogai said. Terasaka slammed his fist into the table.

"Why am I the only one thinking things through?!" He yelled. He threw the papers off of the table. "You assholes are smarter than this!" He stared them all down. Isogai sighed.

"You are right, Terasaka-kun. This is probably the stupidest, most impulsive decision we've ever made. But are you going to let us make this decision alone?" He gave Terasaka a level stare. The man gritted his teeth, thinking over Isogai's words.

"You guys are fucking dumbasses." He sat down on a chair at the table, his arms crossed, "And what are you assholes going to do when it turns out Nagisa is guilty?"

"We'll figure it out if it comes to that," Kayano dismissed, "Do you really think that he'd hurt us if we rescued him?

"He might hurt _other_ people!" Terasaka shouted.

"Then _I'll_ deal with him," Karma said, "If it comes to that, then I'll stop him."

"Yeah, to suck his dick?"

"Look, Terasaka," Isogai interjected, "You can't deny that the evidence is suspicious. If he was framed the way that we suspect, then that means someone _on the inside_ is trying to take him down. If that's the case, then any criminal proceedings from here on out are going to be _fixed_."

"We're the only ones who know who Nagisa really is," Kayano added, before Terasaka could protest. "We're the only ones who can do anything about it. I couldn't stand and watch him go to jail for the rest of his life for something he's innocent for." Terasaka regarded them silently and with judging eyes. Karma's phone buzzed. He was beginning to hate that sound.

"You assholes are committed aren't you," he observed. Oppressing silence filled the room as he thought over their words. After a few long moments he gritted his teeth and slammed his palms against the table. "Fine, I'll fucking do it, just to keep you assholes out of trouble." Karma grinned brightly. He knew Terasaka would come through. Just as he was about to take a seat at their table, they heard a horrified squeak from Kayano.

"Guys," Kayano said softly, her eyes were wide. Karma furrowed his brow as she placed her phone on the table for everyone to see. It was a push alert.

 **Minister for Finance found dead in his summer home.**

Karma nearly choked. Her phone buzzed again as another news alert came in.

 **Japan officially under heightened security warning.**

 _ **Search underway for other cabinet members.**_

Dead silence filled the room. A shiver made its way down Karma's back.

"Fuck."

* * *

"So what do you think of all this?" Maehara asked, long after Karma, Terasaka, and Kayano had left.

"I'm not happy about it," Isogai said truthfully. He swept the floor of the café, picking up fallen wrappers and the occasional bits of food. Maehara wiped down the tables with an old rag.

"We can still back out," Maehara suggested, "I'm not too happy about it either. Everything Karma is suggesting is insane. And what _is_ going to happen if we get in and it turns out Nagisa was guilty? Is he going to kill us too? Do we let him free? What if _we_ get caught? We'll lose all of this." He gestured towards the restaurant.

Isogai leaned against the handle of the broom. His hand rested against one of their tables. It was garishly decorated with bright pink and red octopi tablecloth that Kayano had designed herself. It was a little crooked, a little worn, but it was _theirs_. All of this was theirs. The paintings, the floorboards, even that stupid light in the corner that kept flickering. They had worked damn hard to make this stupid idea of theirs successful.

"I don't want to lose this," he said softly.

"We don't have to, Yuuma, we do still have options," Maehara reminded. He stood up, no longer hunched over one of their tables.

"But, I feel guilty leaving Nagisa where he is."

"You shouldn't! We don't know what he's been doing for the last eight years, but I can guarantee that it's probably not been good. Does he even feel anything anymore? We don't know, Yuuma. For all we know, he _is_ guilty and this is just a suicide mission!"

"I think he's innocent," Isogai admitted. Maehara gave his husband an odd look.

"Just four hours ago you said you thought he was guilty."

"I did, I kind of do, I don't know, Hiroto." He stopped sweeping, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "It's not that I don't believe that he could kill the MEXT Minister, but it's that I don't believe he could kill the other ministers." Isogai looked up at the ceiling. "I-I know it's stupid, and I _know_ that I don't know him after all these years, but…there's a part of me that just doesn't believe he'd try and take down so many high level officials." Maehara frowned, thinking over Isogai's words.

"So what do you want to do about it? Do you really want to go through with this? Even knowing all the risks?" Isogai leaned against the wall, his broom forgotten in the corner. Maehara crossed the room. He took Isogai's hand in his own.

"You're still doubtful," Isogai observed.

"I liked the dude, but he moved on, and so should we." Maehara caressed Isogai's hand.

"You want to back out?"

"Tell me what you want to do first," Maehara insisted. Isogai looked him in the eyes, his resolve firm.

"I want to save Nagisa." Maehara gave him a short kiss.

"Then let's save Nagisa. When I married you, I vowed to support you no matter what stupid decisions you wanted to make. You supported me throughout the opening and running of this café. It's about damn time I got the chance to return the favor." Isogai smiled and reciprocated the kiss. "Alright Yuuma, I'll contact Okano-san and Fuwa-san tomorrow."

"I'll sent a message to Megu-san, if she agrees, I can get her to get Nakamura-san." They unlaced their fingers to finish closing up the café for the night.

Neither noticed the flickering light in the corner go dark.

* * *

Isogai knocked on a familiar door to a familiar apartment complex. It had been a while since he last visited Megu, a little over a year now. The walk felt familiar and oddly comforting. Although, the unfamiliar man at the door was strange.

"Good afternoon," he greeted politely, "Is Megu-san home?" The black-haired man shuffled a bit, glancing behind him into the apartment.

"Megu?" he called.

"Coming!" a familiar voice replied. Moments later, she was at the door, struggling to put her last shoe on. She gave Isogai a big smile. "Nice to see you again, Yuuma-kun." She turned towards the man. "Yuki-san, this is Isogai Yuuma. Isogai-kun, this is Yuki." Isogai bowed and Yuki reflected him.

"Nice to meet you," he said.

"Same to you. How do you two know each other?" he asked.

"We're friends," Isogai explained, "We went to the same university, although we've known each other since junior high." Megu nodded. She gave him a kiss before stepping outside of the apartment, her bag over her shoulder.

"See you tonight!" He nodded and closed the door.

"Your new boyfriend?" Isogai asked.

"I wouldn't call him new, we've been dating for over half a year now."

"He seems nice."

"He's very nice," Megu said, "He's great overall, but he does lack a lot of self-confidence. He's a little paranoid about me running off with some other guy." Isogai frowned, he didn't like that.

"Isn't that a bit concerning? Does he really think you're not that loyal?"

"No, I don't think it's that," Megu explained, "He's had trouble in previous relationships. It's something he'll slowly heal from." Isogai nodded.

"Well, if you're sure," he said, "So how's work been?"

"It's been stressful. I'm coaching the swim team after school now, so my free time is slowly draining away."

"How are your students this year?"

"They're great, just like they were last year. I don't think I have a bad one in the bunch." Isogai chuckled.

"Unlike, who was it, Daisuke-kun two years ago?" Megu's face darkened.

"That boy," she muttered under her breath, "Thank God he's no longer my problem. He'll do fine though, I gave his new sensei plenty of tips and tricks for dealing with him. After spending my time in high school dealing with Terasaka and Karma, I've had plenty of experience working with trouble makers." Isogai smiled softly at the memories. They certainly were a handful.

No. Are. They _are_ still handfuls. Karma and Terasaka were probably working on their plan now.

"So how's the café?" Megu asked, jolting Isogai out of his thoughts.

"It's doing very well," he said, "We're expected to turn a profit for the first time since it opened!" Megu brightened.

"I'm so glad! How long has the café been open now?"

"Almost three years. We've been operating at a loss since we opened. But now our marketing efforts are paying off, and we've got a loyal customer base. We're very excited."

"You should be! That's big news." She gave him a genuine smile. "What're you gonna do with that extra money?"

"We're going to do some reinvesting, get better uniforms, utensils, décor, the works." Isogai gazed wistfully into the distance. "We're hoping that after a few years, we can take a proper vacation. Hiroto and I haven't had one in years. We never had a proper honeymoon, you know."

"That'll be good for you two," Megu said honestly, "You two have been working to the bone for years now. From what it sounded like, you guys were lucky to get two days off for your wedding." It was true, they would spend their days working on the business and evenings planning for the wedding, it had been a nightmare.

"Yeah, it was tough," he said. He gave Megu a serious look. "Did you see the news?" She gave him a long stare.

"Yes," she said eventually, "I did."

"I can't believe it," Isogai said, "I never thought he'd step foot in Japan again, let alone to get caught."

"I don't believe it," Megu said. Isogai blinked, that response was unexpected. "It's suspicious to me." She stopped, leaning against a wall.

"Why do you think it's suspicious?"

"Nagisa was never that type of guy. He may've been quiet and had no self-respect, but he was kind, hard-working, and careful. I find it unlikely that he would've killed knowingly killed the MEXT Minister. It feels set-up." _Incredible, she was able to discern the strangeness of Nagisa's arrest without even knowing the evidence!_

"People change, Megu, do you really think Nagisa can't have changed since leaving?"

"No, I don't think so. Not that much." She was really an optimist. That was unexpected of her.

"Karma came by the café a couple days ago," he said, "He saw him."

"Karma?" Megu repeated, "Oh, that can't have been good." Isogai agreed with her sentiments. He could remember finding Karma after Nagisa's departure, entirely by accident.

 _Isogai hadn't intended to stumble upon what was obviously a very private scene, but he couldn't bring himself to leave. Akabane Karma, the class delinquent and trouble-maker, was in tears, screaming, and punching a fence. Isogai hesitantly approached._

 _"Karma?" he said softly. Karma's head shot up and Isogai could see the sorrow, anger, and desperation in his eyes. For a brief moment, Isogai though that Karma was going to turn his anger towards him. Karma took a shaking breath. He hesitantly approached, placing his hand on Karma's shoulder._

 _"Are you al-"_

 _"He's gone," Karma cut off, "Nagisa's gone." Isogai felt his heart drop. What did that mean? Karma pulled out his phone. "He's deleted himself off of everything. His weibo, twitter, it's all gone. He's gone."_

 _"I'm not sure I understand," Isogai said honestly. He deleted his social media accounts?_

 _"He's left Japan. With Lovro, his mom told me." Isogai couldn't hold back his surprised gasp._

 _"Then that means…!"_

 _"He's gone off to be an assassin," Karma spat. He kicked at the ground. "He left without telling anybody." Karma quieted. "He left without telling_ _ **me.**_ _" A new wave of tears fell down Karma's face. Isogai pulled him into a hug. He wasn't sure how Karma would react, right now he was furious and he might kick Isogai for even attempting to touch him. Karma just stood, not reacting. When Isogai let go, Karma fell to his knees, his knuckles white._

 _"I loved him," he said quietly. Isogai's eyes widened. "I was going to tell him today." He kneeled down next to him, placing his hand on Karma's back. "I-I've thought about it so many times, but I always chickened out. I told myself I couldn't wait any longer, that it had to happen before we separated for college." Where the hell was this coming from?! Unexpected didn't even begin to describe it... "But apparently it was too late." Karma threw his head back and laughed bitterly. "It was too late…"_

 _"Karma…"_

"It wasn't," Isogai said, "He had seen Nagisa being taken into interrogation."

"Lord," she swore, "And…?"

"He was thinking the same things that you are," Isogai said. He pulled out the envelope that held a photocopy of the evidence that Karma had given him. Megu took it, pulling out the documents.

"What is this?"

"It's a listing of some of the evidence that Karma pulled out that indicates foul play. He thinks that Nagisa may have been framed."

"Framed?"

"He's pulled Hiroto and I into this, but I've grown more convinced of it as more information is released about missing Ministers. I disagree with the point that he wouldn't kill a minister. However, I also don't believe he would try and kill multiple ministers. He would never try and take down the government."

"So, what're you guys going to do about it?"

"We're the only ones who know the truth, about who he is and what he does." He looked her in the eyes, serious and determined. "We're going to try and save him." Megu's eyes widened. "If you're interested, come to the café on Friday at nine. Look over the evidence, I won't think any less of you if you decide against it. Destroy it when you're done." She gripped the envelope tighter. "This discussion never happened."

"Understood." Isogai paused momentarily.

"And, if you wanted to spread this information to people who may also be interested in helping. We would not be opposed to that as well."

"Understood."

* * *

Nagisa blinked as light flooded into his cell. Three silhouetted figures stood at his door, their weapons evident even in the darkness of their shadows. _My firing squad,_ he joked to himself.

He had been left in isolation for the last few days, the only "human" interaction he had being the sound of footsteps and the creaking of the metal slot as his guards inserted food and took away the empty trays. He'd been trained for this, but the silence and isolation was beginning to take its toll. He had begun hearing things. Broken conversations…whispers… He wasn't sure if they were real or not anymore.

"Get up," the man ordered. Nagisa stood up. His knees were weak and his vision blurred. "You're coming with me. If you make a move, I will not hesitate to tase you. Do you understand?" Nagisa swayed on the spot, trying to find his legs again. "Do you understand?!"

"I understand," he said. Nagisa didn't resist as one of the guards placed handcuffs on him. His hazy thoughts began to clear with each step. His shaky legs regained their strength with every meter walked. _Four armed guards, one pistol, a taser, and baton. Frequent direction changes. Probably interrogation._ Adrenaline cleared the remaining fog from his head, although it was not enough to remove the fatigue from his tired and weak limbs.

He was more than a little frustrated at himself for not paying attention to his relocation after his arrest. He knew he was someplace within the Ministry of Defense, but he had no idea _where_ in the Ministry he was. He wasn't sure where they were. It was someplace in the Ministry of Defense, but he had no idea how far up he was or where the nearest emergency exit was located.

Although, given what he was going to be accused of, adding an escape from prison charge was probably not going to hurt him too much. He just had to find an opening.

"Halt, prisoner." Nagisa stopped, as he was ordered. There was a gap between the two flanking him in the back. If he jumped back, his hand could grab ahold of the left one's gun. If he worked fast enough, he could disable the guards and make a run for the stairway. He heard approaching footsteps. The clack of expensive shoes. He looked up to see a shockingly familiar face. Nagisa's breath caught in his throat.

 _Karasuma-sensei…_ Nagisa could feel the disappointment exuding from his eyes. _I taught you better than this._

He could try and escape… Nagisa had a better idea.

He jumped back, grabbing the gun from the officer behind him. He swept the man's leg, forcing him to the ground. Before the other officers could react, he snapped the safety off and shot three times. Once around the downed officer. Once at the officers closest to him. Finally, once at Karasuma. He heard a cry as one of his shots hit a nearby officer. He winced. He hadn't actually intended to hit him, but he supposed that's what happens when you can't actually see what you're shooting at (and when you're handcuffed).

Air escaped Nagisa's lungs as Karasuma's solid boot collided with Nagisa's abdomen. The gun clattered to the ground as Nagisa's weak legs protested and he fell flat to the ground. _That was pathetic._ Through the haze of pain, he saw Karasuma's judging eyes. He spat out a glob of blood and spit.

"I'm sorry," Nagisa said between his choked breating, "I just wanted my arrest to actually mean something." Karasuma's eyes widened. _I'm innocent._ Nagisa's body seized as 55,000 volts went through his body. The skin around his wrists was burning. He let out an involuntary scream.

"We need back-up!" he heard an officer yell. "Officer down! Officer down!" Karasuma stepped back, as dignified as ever. Nagisa didn't resist as the officers hoisted him up and dragged him roughly. The officer's gun was against the back of his head. Nagisa gave Karasuma one last piercing stare before he was led away. Karasuma huffed and walked in the opposite direction, his protection detail following closely behind him. Nagisa took a deep breath.

He would make it out of here. The Blue Viper wasn't going to be downed just yet.


	8. The Plan Part 2

**A/N: As an FYI, there is some gore in this chapter. On AO3, I do have this tagged as having depictions of violence, and in future chapters, that's going to become more relevant.**

 **Chapter Eight – Planning Part 2**

 **CONFIDENTIAL: Minister for Defense Attacked by Terrorist Suspect**

Karma's eyes read the internal memo for the 20th time that afternoon.

 _TO: MINISTRY OF DEFENSE: DEFENSE POLICY DEPARTMENT_

 _FROM: DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE HEADQUARTERS_

 _FOR INTERNAL EYES ONLY_

 _At 15:07, while suspect Shiota Nagisa was enroute to an interrogation, he crossed paths with Minister for Defense Karasuma Tadaomi. Despite standard precautions being taken, Shiota took down an officer and stole his gun. He fired three times, injuring another officer in the process. The Minister was unhurt, and effectively took down the suspect, who has been placed in isolation._

 _This information is to be embargoed until further notice._

Karma gulped as he read the memo for the 21st time that afternoon.

Nagisa had attacked Karasuma, their former teacher and his former assassination mentor. Karma was in a daze. He had only one question on his mind. _Why?_ Why had Nagisa attacked Karasuma? What did he have to gain? He wasn't doing himself any favors.

A single, terrifying thought jolted him.

What if he was trying to finish the job?

At the moment, the MEXT Minister, the Minister for Finance, and the Minister for Economy, Trade, and Industry were confirmed dead. The Minister for Health was missing and presumed dead and the Minister for Justice was still missing. Had Nagisa been determined to take down another Minister before he was sent away forever?

From day one, Karma had believed with his everything that Nagisa was innocent. He believed that Nagisa had been framed, that he would never make the decision to take down a government. But as he read the memo for the 22nd time, he felt tendrils of doubt cloud his confidence. Terasaka's words rang through his head.

 _"And what are you assholes going to do when it turns out Nagisa is guilty?"_

Karma had dismissed his words, thinking that it was impossible. There was no way Nagisa was guilty. Now he wasn't so sure. The Nagisa he thought he knew wouldn't do something like this. The Nagisa that had spent the last eight years making a living off of killing people might. The Nagisa that was somewhere _in this same goddamn building_ might be willing to kill government officials. And he hated that. He hated that he might actually be wrong.

He tore his eyes away from the computer screen, instead focusing on his phone. What would his newly formed team think when they saw this information? They were already hanging together by a thread, this information might be enough to destroy their fragile resolve. He gritted his teeth together. Should he tell them? He unlocked his phone, opening up the messaging app.

Nagisa had to have attacked him for a reason. There was still no explanation for his strange arrest, nor was there an explanation for his motive. Karma tapped his finger impatiently against the desk. He wanted answers and he wanted them _now._ Though, even if he could sneak passed high security by himself (first of all, he would've already done it), he doubted Nagisa was in a chatty mood. Getting tased and forcibly placed into isolation tended to kill any motivation to do _anything._ Besides, who knew what eyes would be on them?

His fingers hovered over the screen to select the Terasaka conversation thread. He realized that as soon as he told his friend, he would tell the rest of the group. They really would fall apart. Without them, it would be impossible for Karma to ever see Nagisa again.

He _needed_ to see him again. He needed to talk to him, tell him everything he had kept to himself in high school. He needed to ask him: why? Why did he leave? Why did he think that his friends wouldn't understand? Why did he wait so long to return?

He needed to have more faith. Nagisa _had_ to have attacked Karasuma with good reason. He couldn't just be "finishing the job", otherwise the other alive and accounted for Ministers would be dead too. There had to be something more, there just _had_ to be. With only a moment's hesitation, he exited out of the app. He just hoped he wasn't making a mistake.

* * *

"HE DID WHAT?!" Irina squawked, spitting out her coffee all over the table. Karasuma covered his face with his newspaper to protect himself from the spray.

"He attacked me," he repeated simply. He took a nearby rag and started wiping down the counter. Irina was still staring at him with her arms crossed and fury in her eyes. Karasuma sighed and his wiping slowed.

"Why the hell did he attack you?!" she growled. Before he could answer, she smashed her fist against the table. "Damn, how could he have changed so much? I had so much faith in him…"

"He attacked me to convey a message," Karasuma said. She looked up, confusion evident on her face. Karasuma held back a small smile. She was always so easy to read. He loved that about her.

"A message?"

"He said to me, just before he was tased, 'I want my arrest to mean something.'" It took a moment for Irina to comprehend what he meant.

"Then that means….!"

"He's innocent. He was framed."

"By who? For what reason?" she asked, alarmed.

"I don't know," he said, putting his own cup of coffee on the table, "He didn't get that far. Anything I think is just speculation. We know little of what he has been up too, Irina. Maybe he was betrayed by a partner. Maybe it was an enemy he made along the way." He shrugged. "For all we know, it _was_ a Japanese national who just picked him randomly for the job." The room was filled with quiet contemplation. Karasuma could tell that his wife was trying to wrap her head around everything.

"It's dumb," she said, "But I still feel affectionate towards him. He _was_ our student for three years, I still feel responsible for him."

"In some ways, I kind of view him as our son," Karasuma admitted quietly. Irina placed her hands on his.

"I know what you mean," she said softly.

 _"Nagisa," Karasuma said. The poor boy was on the ground, his eyes dead, staring at his hands. The rest of their class was in similar states of despair. Hayami was crying into Chiba's shoulder. Many of the girls were openly sobbing and the boys were letting their frustration, sadness, and anger out on the forest nearby._

 _Their sensei was dead._

 _Nagisa had killed him._

 _Karasuma gritted his teeth. He hadn't mentally prepared them for this, he hadn't thought he needed to. There was some part of his heart that refused to acknowledge the possibility that a student would lay the final blow. Let alone in such a public and personal way. But Nagisa had killed for the first time. There was no way around it. His hands were covered in a combination of yellow mucus and human blood. He placed his hand on Nagisa's shoulder, but the boy didn't react._

 _"Nagisa," he said firmly. The boy slowly turned towards him, his eyes unseeing._

 _"I did it," he said quietly. Karasuma felt his heart break. No child deserved to have such an expression on their face. Irina was at his side, kneeling down next to him. She pulled him into a strong hug. This finally broke him. Tears flowed freely down his face as he wrapped his arms around his teacher. Karasuma patted his back._

 _"I did it," he repeated, choking sobs down in between each word._

 _Karasuma closed his eyes. They may have saved the world, but they had lost a dear friend and mentor. He could only hope that they kept their sanity._

"I didn't think he'd take up the training I offered him after junior high," Karasuma admitted. Irina chuckled.

"Neither did I. But he had so much raw potential and he recognized that himself," Irina said, sitting back, "It would've been a shame to see it wither." Raw potential was an understatement. Karasuma had never seen anyone take so naturally to a skill.

 _Karasuma stood outside the building that Nagisa had entered just ten minutes earlier. He closed his eyes and leaned against the cold brick wall. He and Irina had been shaping the boy into an assassin over the course of the last year and a half. They had been carefully building upon the basics he had learned in his last year of middle school, working on shaping his muscles and his mind._

 _Now was his first big test._

 _Karasuma had received word that his superiors were going to be putting a hit out on a Yakuza group that had been building power in the outskirts of Tokyo. Although it wasn't going to be an 'easy' job by any means, it would be a good test. He honestly had enough faith in his student that he would make it out without a scratch._

 _He looked up as the door creaked open. His hand hovered over his gun, ready to shoot the Yakuza member. His hand twitched as a familiar blue haired boy exited. Karasuma was confused. Had Nagisa given up? There was no way he could have killed six people in just ten minutes._

 _"Nagisa," Karasuma started, ready to admonish him for abandoning his task. His words were caught in his throat as he realized several things at once. His knife was blanketed in red and droplets of blood were in his hair, and on his clothes._ _ **There's no way**_ _, he thought._

 _"Karasuma-sensei," Nagisa said, his voice quiet and far away. He cracked open the door just a little more. Karasuma's heart stopped when he caught a glimpse of the scene behind the boy. Blood was pooling and dripping down the stairs. The body of a heavily tattooed man laid contorted on the ground, his fingers rigid and unmoving. His throat was open, exposing the bone and muscle underneath the skin. Nagisa's innocent face looked unnatural surrounded by the horrors behind him._

 _"Karasuma-sensei," he repeated, his voice cracking and tears pooling in his eyes. Karasuma looked away, he had to. He held his hand out for the boy who had killed six people in ten minutes. Nagisa's shaking hand took his own. The blood was still warm and a sob escaped Nagisa's lips. Karasuma felt an odd sense of satisfaction at the noise. He hoped to God he never saw the day his protégé actually enjoyed the act._

"What can we do?" Irina asked, "If he's been framed, then the real culprit is still out there. Nagisa deserves to get out."

"As of right now, nothing." She let out a growl of frustration. She knew he was right. They had no idea what kind of life Nagisa had lived when he left Japan. Their interference would only cause trouble for them. Irina heard Aleksandr's pounding feet coming down the stairs. She smiled gently.

They also had one other life to think about.

* * *

Shiota Nagisa felt small under the piercing gazes of his judges. They sat in an even row, towering over him in the courtroom. It was surreal to him. From behind the cell doors, he could pretend like none of this had ever happened, like he had been captured by an enemy organization in the underground. But he hadn't. He was in the public eye now and he had to deal with public institutions. A severe looking man stood up.

"Shiota Nagisa, you are being charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder." He looked up, his harsh eyes meeting Nagisa's. "Given the significance of the dead, the premeditation, and its effects on Japan. We will also be charging you with high treason and conspiracy against the government." Nagisa's heart sunk. Treason… "How do you plead?"

Nagisa tilted his head forward, the microphone capturing the rustle of his clothes and the throaty sound of his voice. "Not guilty," he declared. The man shifted back, shuffling the papers in front of him.

"Very well. You have the right to legal counsel. Will you be hiring your own attorney or will you be seeking a public defender?"

"I will take a public defender." He didn't intend to stay long enough to be actually tried.

"Given the circumstances and the severity of the crime, we will be not be setting bail," he said. He didn't particularly care, he would be surprised if they had set bail. "You are dismissed." Immediately his guards flanked him, their bodies rigid and ready to defend. They handcuffed him and led him through the door to his transport.

Nagisa had no disillusions about the lifespan of an assassin. Few made it to the age of 40, fewer made it to that age with their sanity intact. He had imagined many times how his assassin career would end. He personally hoped that he would go out in a blaze of glory, taking down a criminal mastermind and saving hundreds of lives in the process. Maybe he would get out alive, albeit with a crippling injury, and retire to a tropical island somewhere. Maybe he wouldn't.

In no scenario, did he imagine his career would end with camera flashes and the jeering of a crowd. His senses sharpened as he took in as much information as he possibly could. All the major national tv networks _and_ the international tv networks were present. Tokyo TV, Fuji TV, Nippon Television, NKH, CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera… There wouldn't be a single person in the world that didn't know his face. He held his head high.

This media frenzy wasn't disadvantageous, he realized. It was chaotic, crowded, loud, and full of security holes. Given the nature of his trial, he was sure that once it was actually underway, it would take from several days to several weeks. He looked up. Even with all the cameras trained on him, handcuffs on, he could see an escape route.

 _"Why are we doing this, Karasuma-sensei?" Nagisa asked as he allowed his teacher to place handcuffs on him._

 _"An assassin should never place themselves in a situation where they are captured or at a disadvantage. In an ideal situation, an assassin will make the kill and immediately leave," Irina explained. She raised a finger. "_ _ **But**_ _, this isn't always possible. You can't always predict what's going to happen. Your target wants to live just as much as you want them dead. There may come a time where you will be tied up, handcuffed, or even drugged, and your life is on the line." Nagisa nodded. "That's why it's imperative you learn how to move in all these situations."_

 _Karasuma stood back. Nagisa tested the strength of the cuffs. He stood up, almost immediately losing balance._

 _"Now," Karasuma said, "Escape."_

He smirked and a camera snapped. Nagisa was ushered into a high security van

He had a way out.

* * *

Karma looked over the strange gaggle of people in front of him. There were both expected and unexpected faces in the crowd. He knew that Isogai and Maehara still had good relations with Kataoka and Okano, so it was no surprise that they were there. They had dragged along Nakamura, who sat with her arms crossed and looking doubtful. Yada sat nervously, clearly unsure about whether she wanted to do this or not. Sugaya was next to her, looking apathetic about the whole thing. "Is this everyone?"

Terasaka had convinced Itona to join their ragtag group, though that wasn't unexpected either. Okajima, on the other hand, was a surprise. Karma was somewhat amazed not to see Kanzaki or Kurahashi there. He last remembered Kanzaki and Nagisa being on good terms, and Kurahashi had always been enthusiastic about helping in general.

"Yeah," Isogai said, "We called everyone we knew."

"Which was basically _everyone_ , by the way," Maehara added, "A lot of people couldn't come for one reason or another. Mimura wanted in, but his work schedule is so hectic he couldn't even guarantee being here tonight."

"Kurahashi was interested as well, but her work at the zoo keeps her too busy."

"Takebayashi, Muramatsu, and Hazama told us that we were being dumb and told us to move on," Maehara continued.

"Traitors," Terasaka muttered under his breath.

"We couldn't even get in contact with Kimura or Fuwa," Kayano said. She crossed her arms. "It _is_ kind of short notice."

"I see," Karma said. He looked over the crowd. He could work with this group, their plans needed some adjustment, but he could work with them. Nakamura raised her hand.

"I took a look at the evidence, and I agree it's all weird. But how do you expect us to break into the _Ministry of Defense_?" Karma regarded her with a calmly. He glanced at Terasaka, who gestured for him to begin. Isogai, Kayano, and Maehara took a seat.

"The short of it is that yes, we do have a plan."

"And the long of it?" Nakamura prompted.

"It's complicated," Terasaka interjected bluntly. Karma glared at him. "There's a lot of risks to the plan." There was rustling in the group. Karma was well aware that many were already there reluctantly, this might just be enough for them to jump ship.

"You didn't have to lead with that," Karma hissed in Terasaka's ear.

"They need to know what they're getting into," Terasaka responded firmly. Karma's teeth gritted together and his mind flashed to the memo. No, that wasn't relevant right now. He glanced back at the audience, who was looking more than a little unimpressed.

"Can we just hear the plan?" Sugaya asked dryly, "We already know that it's going to be risky, we would just like to see _how_ risky ourselves." Karma reached down and pulled out a folder from his briefcase. It was a rough sketch of their plan. It hadn't been finalized yet, but now that they knew exactly who was going to participate in the mission, it solidified certain parts.

"Since Terasaka and I work for the Ministry, we would be able to get two guests in without any fuss. Once in, I know a fire entrance in the back that has the alarms disconnected, the rest of you can enter through there."

"Wouldn't that easily incriminate you and your guests?" Nakamura asked, "If a top criminal goes missing and someone is smart enough to look into who brought guests in that day, you guys will be at the top of the list."

"In one day, approximately one hundred and fifty employees bring in a guest of some sort," Terasaka said, "I'm part of a project that analyzes the people entering and exiting the Minister at any given hour." He gave them a serious look. "I can eliminate our data almost as soon as we enter."

"But we've still got witnesses," Nakamura pushed.

"Witnesses who see tons of people on a day to day basis. As long as we don't stick out, we can get in and out without a fuss," Karma responded, "Myself, Terasaka, and the other two would be a part of Team A. They would be responsible for paving the way for Teams B and C." Karma carefully regarded the group, they were still all intently listening. "Team B would be entering through the back, posing as security guards. Team C will be entering through the front."

"The front?" Kayano repeated, "How do you expect us to do that?"

"Yesterday was Nagisa's first court appearance," Karma explained, "He pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him and he called for a public defender. Team C is going to be posing as that public defender and their assistant."

"Are we forging those credentials?" Itona asked.

"That's the plan," Terasaka confirmed. They let the group digest the plan. It had a lot of elements and he was sure even they could see some of the holes. If they slipped, it would be all over.

"There's just one more thing," Karma started. There was one more element to this plan that they needed to know. "Since Nagisa has made his first court appearance and is going to full trial, the Ministry of Justice will be taking over his case soon. It would have been done already, if the Ministry wasn't in chaos right now due to the assassination of their Minister. In the next few days, he is going to be moved from the Ministry of Defense to a full-scale jail." Here was the kicker. "We need to act before that happens."

"Wait, are you saying we need to do this in the next few days?!" Isogai cried, "That's too fast. We have no time for prep!"

"If we move fast, we can manage it," Karma said, "I'm confident in us."

"I'm sorry, I wouldn't be able to do that," Sugaya said, "I have shows in the evening starting tomorrow through the next week. I wouldn't be able to help." _Shit, and he could've been helpful for infiltration._

"Would you be able to quickly throw together disguises for us?" Terasaka asked. Sugaya hummed, thinking his words over.

"Yeah, I might be able to do that." Karma let out a breath of relief. Even losing one person diminished their odds of success.

"Okajima, how are your video and photo manipulation skills?" Karma asked. Okajima grinned.

"They don't call me the celebrity public number one enemy for nothing!" he declared.

"Then Team A with be myself, Terasaka, Itona, and Okajima," he said. Terasaka and Itona had always been on the first team. Itona's skills with engineering and technology would be advantageous to actually get inside the Ministry. Okajima could then help keep the cameras pointed in just the right directions. "Kayano, Nakamura, how are your acting skills?"

"Top notch as always!" Kayano said brightly.

"I could pass," Nakamura said.

"You'll be on Team C," he declared, "Of any of us, you two would pass the best. We'll work on creating false credentials for you. You're going to need to make it seem like you belong there. Maehara, Okano, Isogai, and Kataoka, you four will serve as support for Team C. Nagisa is not to be moved without a minimum of four guards at all times. You _must_ be those guards. Terasaka and I will figure out how to get a couple of uniforms out of the Defense Force's hands."

They all looked at each other.

"And you're sure about this?" Kataoka asked.

"Look, Terasaka's right, it's not going to be easy and there's plenty of room for fuck-ups. But _we_ can do this. We've done the impossible before and we can do it again. I know I can't stand by and watch as my best friend is wrongfully prosecuted!" Karma was starting to get sick of hammering this point into the heads of his friends. Couldn't they see that Nagisa needed their help?

"Alright, then let's do this," Sugaya said, "I wasn't super close to him myself, but I respected him." He sat forward on his seat, looking over the folder that Karma had pulled out earlier. "Lead the way, Karma-kun." Rio sat forward similarly.

"Well, I might as well do _something_ exciting before I become a boring old lawyer."

"Nagisa was always so kind to us, so it's about time we returned the favor!" Kayano said enthusiastically. Itona sat silent on his chair, looking over every detail. Karma opened up his personal folder.

"Well then, let's begin."


	9. Plan Execution

**Chapter Nine – Plan Execution**

"Terasaka Ryoma plus one guest," Terasaka spoke as he inserted his ID. The security system beeped. Vocal recognition passed. He placed his hand on the scanner. Another beep. Handprint recognized. He stepped forward. The security officer was already pulling out a guest pass.

"May I see your guest's ID?" He watched Itona fish in his bag before pulling out a worn looking wallet. He handed his driver's license over to the guard.

"Horibe Itona," the guard read, "Strange name." Itona shrugged, he got that a lot. Terasaka tapped his foot impatiently. He and Karma had thought about using fake names for Itona and Okajima, but it would take too much time to forge an ID for the two. It was more important for everyone else to look genuine. Besides, he'd be erasing their data before anyone could closely examine their origins. With the hundreds of employees that brought guests every day, why would Okajima and Itona stand out? The guard looked over the ID carefully, glancing up and down a couple of times. He handed the card back over and reached to activate a temporary pass.

"This will allow you onto the eighth floor to HR with Terasaka-san and give you access to our employee lounge on the second floor. It will not work anywhere else and you will be expected to sign it out when you leave." Itona nodded. He shoved his wallet back down in the depths of his bag and pinned the badge onto his shirt pocket. He walked closely behind Terasaka, his eyes wandering everywhere.

"It's big," he said.

"Of course it is, we're becoming one of the biggest ministries," Terasaka said. He could rattle off facts about the growth of the ministry, just one of the many perks of working in HR. He should look into transferring somewhere else. Maybe into the Bureau of Operational Policy? That was sure to be a lot more interesting.

"Why?" Itona asked.

"Why what?"

"Why is the Ministry of Defense becoming one of the biggest ministries?" Terasaka frowned.

"I dunno, I guess because it does a lot of things?" He had never really thought about it. Either way, it wasn't particularly important. Right now, they needed to focus on their mission and _just_ their mission. They couldn't afford to be distracted by anything right now. He and Itona had to get up his computer to add in fictional personnel files to validate Team B's identities and delete Itona and Okajima's visitor records. In about an hour, Karma and Okajima would go in and begin their work on the cameras.

He still couldn't believe he had been roped into doing this.

 _Terasaka sat in his freshly pressed shirt, tie, and trousers. His shoes were polished, and his hair was less of a wild mess than usual. Today was the first official day on the job, he had gone all out. He sat in a conference room, awaiting the other trainees and their HR director. He heard the door open behind him._

" _Oh ho! Is that who I think it is?" an annoyingly familiar voice crooned over him. Terasaka scowled._

 _"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, pushing Karma away._

 _"Read the badge, I work here." Terasaka spared a glance at the ID._ _ **Really?**_ _Here he was hoping he could begin a respectable life as a government employee, and now Karma was here to ruin that._

 _"How the hell did you get a job_ _here_ _?" Terasaka had an idea already. From what he had heard from Muramatsu and Itona, Karasuma had offered jobs to all of their classmates post-graduation. He just didn't know who had actually accepted._

 _"Same way you got yours." Karma said, sliding onto the bench next to him. Terasaka would have thought (and hoped) that he would learn personal space in college. He was wrong._

 _"Karasuma?"_

 _"Of course. Where did you end up?" Terasaka sighed._

 _"Bureau of Personnel Management. You?"_

 _"Bureau of Defense Policy." Terasaka blinked. He must have heard that wrong._

 _"Defense policy?" He scanned Karma's face for any trace of a lie. "Who the hell had the brilliant idea to put you there?" Karma just gave him that insufferable grin. Terasaka suspected that his job was not going to be as low key as he wanted. Though maybe since they were in different divisions, perhaps they wouldn't see each other that often….?_

 _Hopefully…_

 _Not likely._

"This is your office?" Itona asked.

"Yeah," Terasaka said as he sat down at his chair. It was a Sunday, so there were very few people in the office. Only a few very dedicated to their jobs (and their overtime paychecks) were in.

"Yo! Terasaka! Unusual to see you here on Sunday!" a nearby co-worker greeted.

"Hey, Katashi," Terasaka greeted weakly. _Act normal, like you're not going to break out a high security criminal_. "Working hard?"

"You know it! Gotta get away from the house, y'know?" He tilted his head. "Who's this?"

"An old friend of mine, Horibe Itona. He's some kind of computer genius, so I thought I'd bring him in to take a look at mine. You know how it's been acting up in the last month."

"Nice to meet you, Horibe-san!" he greeted. Itona gave him a small wave. "You know we have people in IT to do things like that?"

"Since when has tech done anything well?" Katashi laughed.

"True that!" He agreed. "Oh, did you see the news? About that dude that tried taking down the government?"

"What news?"

"Dude's being officially charged with _treason_. He's been indicted and everything!" Terasaka kept his face straight. He didn't need to be reminded of what they had to lose if they were caught. Treason held the penalty of death. _Helping_ _break someone out who had committed treason was treason._ He clenched his fist. _Why_ did he let Karma talk him into this?

"Treason?" Terasaka repeated, "That's a pretty hefty charge."

"Could you expect anything less? Dude killed a lot of super important people."

"Terasaka," Itona interrupted, "Can you log in?"

"Ah, I should get back to work, good luck with your computer." Terasaka waved him off as he leaned down to enter his username and password. Moments later, the computer loaded the Ministry of Defense's intranet system.

"Do you need anything else?" Terasaka whispered to Itona. He had just given him access to the department-wide file system. The white-haired man looked up at him.

"No," he said, "This'll be enough."

* * *

"Geez, I knew security would be harsh in the Ministry, but I didn't realize it'd be that thorough!" Okajima exclaimed. Annoyance flickered in Karma's eyes. Maybe he should've reconsidered bringing Okajima…

"The government is on high alert after Nagisa," Karma explained, "It's only natural that they'd want to frisk you."

"Did they have to though!?" Karma rolled his eyes. He didn't bother letting Okajima know that if he wasn't acting so suspiciously they wouldn't have this problem. He pushed open the door to the stairwell. They would need to take the long way up to get to Terasaka's floor. Thankfully, it was only a few flights up.

"Do you really think we're going to be able to do this?" Okajima muttered.

"Hmm?" Karma said, "Of course I do, I wouldn't be here if I thought we'd fail."

"What're you gonna do when you see Nagisa?" he asked.

"I'll figure it out when I see him."

"Have you thought of anything cool to say when you see him? Like 'Come with us, Nagisa, we're here to save you' or 'It's been a long time, Nagisa.'" Karma rolled his eyes. He was really beginning to regret putting Okajima on his team…

"Life isn't a movie, you know that right, Okajima?"

"Yeah, but we're basically pulling an Ocean's Eleven right now, we're _basically_ living a movie right now. It's not like we haven't done crazy shit before either. You should figure something out," Okajima decided. Karma pushed open the door to Terasaka's floor. Okajima wasn't entirely wrong, Karma _did_ have an idea of what he wanted to do when he saw Nagisa. It was something he should've done years ago.

"Oh, you guys are here already," Terasaka said. He gestured for them to walk in, "Everyone's left the office now, so we're clear."

"Good, let's get started," Karma said, "Okajima, it's all yours." The aforementioned man cracked his knuckles. He pulled a chair from a nearby cubicle and took a seat next to Itona.

"What'd you managed to do?"

"I've planted the false profiles and added Nakamura and Kayano to the list of public defenders," Itona explained, "I added an appointment for Nagisa to meet with his defender later tonight. We have about an hour and a half." Karma nodded, if Okajima could get into the camera system, then he could move freely. "I'm all done on my part." Itona swiveled back to the computer, bringing up another window. "I've started getting into the camera network, what do you think?" Okajima leaned over the white-haired man, his brows knitted together. It looked like nonsense to Karma, but then again, there was a reason he had put a team together.

"It's a tight system," Okajima concluded, "It's a lot more intense than anything I've ever seen."

"Just how often have you done this?" Terasaka mumbled.

"Hey, celebrity sex tapes are not going to release themselves."

"Do celebrities really keep cameras in their bedroom?" Karma wondered aloud. Okajima chuckled to himself.

"It's not in the bedroom they're doing it," he said knowingly. Karma and Terasaka rolled their eyes.

"I'm starting to see why you're being called Celebrity Public Enemy Number 1," Terasaka said.

"They can't ever prove it's me," Okajima bragged, "I'm too good to get caught."

"You should be glad none of the girls are here right now," Itona commented. Okajima shivered, he agreed wholeheartedly.

"So, can you get into it?" Karma asked urgently, "We're kind of on a time limit."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Okajima said. His eyes scanned the computer screen. He scanned the nonsense with trained eyes, and typed furiously into the system, trying to find any backdoor. Every single attempt he made was thwarted with an ACCESS DENIED screen or an error message. The minutes ticked by, and Karma felt himself becoming more and more impatient. Forty of them had already gone by, a little less than half of their time was gone. Okajima bit his lip and feverishly focused on the screen. Itona stood over him.

"Can you get in?" Karma repeated, for what was probably the fifteenth time. Time was ticking. Nagisa was going to be moved, and it was going to be soon. Team B _needed_ to be the ones to move him.

"Yeah, why don't you sit your ass down in this chair and do it for me?" Okajima snapped.

"Have you tried the X311 Protocol?" Itona asked. Okajima snorted.

"As if the _Ministry of Defense_ would have such an obvious security hole," Okajima dismissed. Itona tilted his head. He leaned over the desk.

"But look, the coding there, it's out of place," he said. Okajima stopped, leaning into examine the screen.

"God damn, you're right," he said, "Shit, even celebrities have that hole patched." Karma was relieved. "And you guys are supposed to be like a fortress."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll tell IT about it tomorrow, but can you hurry it up?" Terasaka muttered.

"Don't get your panties in a knot," Okajima said, typing into the computer. Karma's heart leapt when he realized what he was seeing. The views from each of the 100 plus cameras in the Ministry flashed on the screen. Okajima cracked his knuckles. "Now for the real work."

"Can you give us a shot of the cells?" Terasaka asked.

"Sure, sure," he said, rapidly clicking through the screens. He wasn't familiar with the system or the building, so he kept switching through very similar hallways. He stopped when he got to a very familiar looking office.

"Woah," Okajima said. Terasaka went a little pale and turned around.

"I didn't realize they had a camera in here," he said weakly. Karma rolled his eyes, no doubt Terasaka was thinking of all of the games he had been playing on his work computer. Okajima continued to flip through the cameras, flashing through numerous hallways and offices. They couldn't tear their eyes away as Okajima meticulously went through every screen. Karma's breath hitched. Okajima stopped, staring at the screen. They were in the holding cells.

"We're almost there," he muttered.

"Which one do you think is his cell?" Itona asked. Karma shrugged, he had no idea. He worked in an entirely different department, he knew very little of how the procedures of the holding cells worked. Slowly, Okajima flipped from camera to camera. Empty cell, empty cell, some unknown man, another unknown man, empty cell, _Nagisa._ Karma's heart leapt. It _was_ him.

"Woah," Okajima said, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"It's him," Itona whispered.

It was bizarre. Karma had wondered what his old friend had been up to so many times now, it was utterly surreal to see him just sitting there, still and calm. _He's here. He's really here._ All things considered, he didn't look like he had spent the last eight years making a living off of killing people. It looked like his blue hair had dulled, probably with streaks of gray from the stress. His face, his posture, it was all the same. _It was him._ Karma willed Nagisa to look up, he wanted to see those blue eyes again. He needed to confirm something.

But Nagisa wasn't psychic. He wasn't going to react to Karma's will.

"I gotta set up the camera loop," Okajima said, forcibly minimizing the screen. "Which hallways did we need the loop for?"

"We need it for the hallway outside this office, the stairwells, and the back entrance."

"Give me levels."

"Ground, 8th, and 6th," Karma said.

"Gotcha," he said, clicking through the pages of camera screens. Karma watched as Okajima went into the program, clicking around and typing things in that Karma couldn't hope to understand. He waited with baited breath for the confirmation that they could head over to interrogation. The seconds ticked by. Karma dug his nails into the chair. _C'mon, c'mon, we're on a time limit._ Okajima let out a breath. "We're good."

"Team B, are you in position?" Terasaka asked, breaking their mandated radio silence.

"Yes," Isogai said.

"Team C, are you ready?" Karma called over the radio.

"Yes," Nakamura intoned, "We're ready to head in once you give the signal."

"Good, I'll give you the signal soon."

"Standing by." Karma gave Itona, Terasaka, and Okajima a salute before exiting the office. He threw the door to the stairwell open, bolting down the stairs. He descended, taking the curves and turns with ease. Less than five minutes later, he was on the ground floor. He breathed heavily as the run took its toll on him (he wasn't as fit as he used to be, maybe he should start working out?). He hugged the walls as he made his way to the emergency exit. A long time ago, it had been alarmed, but no one had bothered to replace it after the battery died. Karma had been using it as a secret exit for a long time now.

He pushed it open, allowing four familiar faces to pop in.

"There you are!" Okano exclaimed, "We thought you had gotten lost!" He could sense the relief in her voice. He pushed the door open wider, allowing the disguised group through. _Damn, Sugaya wasn't half-hearted with their disguises._ He didn't know what kind of make-up magic he had worked, but they didn't look anything like themselves. Isogai looked like some kind of macho man, and Maehara appeared about ten years older. Megu and Okano both looked like they had come straight out of a war film.

"Are we ready?" Karma asked seriously. They sobered up instantly. They were all at attention.

"Yes," Isogai said, "We're ready." Karma nodded.

"You're on your own from this point on. You know what to do and where to go?"

" _Yes_ ," Maehara insisted, "We studied those maps for hours. We know what we're doing." Karma met their determined eyes. They wanted in and out, so that they could move on.

"Be at the holding cells, wait for our commander to unlock the door and escort Nagisa to the private rooms, once there, distract him by any means necessary," Okano repeated. Karma nodded.

"I trust you," he said. _I'm relying on you._ "Nagisa is set to meet with his lawyer in forty minutes. His jail cell is set to automatically unlock in 25. You need to be there when that happens."

"Understood," Kataoka said.

"Alright guys, let's go."

* * *

"Tamura Masae," Nakamura intoned at the guard, sliding her ID to him, "I'm here to meet with a prisoner. I'm his legal counsel."

"Shimakage Sen," Kayano said, "I'm Masae-san's assistant." She pushed her glasses up and gave the guard a kind smile.

"Masae-san," he repeated, "It's unusual for lawyers to arrive this late at night." Rio let out a dramatic sigh.

"Yeah, I'd much rather be at home, making dinner right now. But I've got a case that can't quite wait." The guard's eyes widened in realization.

"Are you the lawyer taking on the Shiota case?"

"Ah, we'd really rather not make a spectacle of it," Kayano said, lowering her voice, "We'd prefer to stay quiet for now." The guard recovered.

"I understand," he said with a nod. He turned back to his computer screen, looking over the data. Nakamura felt her heart race as he scrolled through the information. They should be in the system, Itona had _assured_ them that they were in the system. If they got caught now… They waited with baited breath as the system slowly loaded.

Loading.

Loading…

"Alright, everything checks out," he confirmed as the screen brought up their profiles. Nakamura barely kept herself from releasing a breath of relief. He reached behind the desk and pulled out two guest passes. "Kotoku-san will escort you to the sixth floor."

The security guard gave them a wave. She gave the man a short bow. "Thank you. Hopefully we'll see you again soon enough."

"Good luck," he said. She and Kayano shared a look as they followed the dark-haired guard to the elevator.

"I haven't see you guys around before," he commented, "Are you new?"

"Yes," Nakamura lied, "I recently signed on at the public defender's office after a few years at a private firm. I wanted to do some good, you know?"

"That's very noble of you. Is this your first case as a public defender?" Nakamura laughed.

"Oh no, of course not. I've defended a few minor offenses, you know, drunk and disorderly, a couple of car accidents, the works. This is the first big case I've had." The man snorted.

"Good luck, the guy is as guilty as sin," Kotoku muttered. Kayano bristled and Nakamura gave him a hard look.

"Why don't we let the courts decide that?" Kayano intoned. Kotoku was thrown off, but recovered relatively quickly. Nakamura mentally memorized the route. If anything went wrong, it would do her good to know exactly where she had to go. He pushed his keycard into a slot and hit a series of six numbers.

"This is where you're supposed to be meeting him. Your client should be here in fifteen minutes or so. If he tries anything funny, you have five armed guards outside. They can take care of him."

"Right. Thank you very much, Kotoku-san." The man tipped his hat and flipped the lights in the room.

"Good luck Tamura-san, Shimakage-san."

The room filled with silence as the door shut. They both let out sighs of relief.

"That was incredible, Rio!" Kayano gushed, "You couldn't have been any more perfect!" Nakamura flushed pink.

"Thank you, Kaede." She had been working on her character all day yesterday. She had felt herself almost slip a couple of times, but she held it together the best she could. She pulled a small radio out of her pocket and placed her earpiece in. "Team C is in place." She and Kayano exchanged a nervous sigh and sat back in their seats. Now it was just a waiting game.

* * *

Nagisa's head touched the cold hard wall behind him. He fiddled with his thumbs, trying to find _anything_ to distract himself. He was being moved soon, to an actual jail cell in an actual prison. He let out a sigh. At least the Japanese court systems were relatively fast. He would probably get his next chance to escape in the next two months or so. Although, given how Asano had taken down the Minister of Justice, it may take longer.

He hated feeling like a trapped animal.

He tapped his fingers against the hard concrete, the rhythm momentarily distracting him from his situation. What the hell did Asano even get out of this? It had been bothering him for a while now, and none of the scenarios in his mind made any sense.

From his profile, it sounded like Gakushuu had fallen straight off of the deep end. Outwardly, he showed the public a golden persona, a man who had ambition, but loved his friends, treated his coworkers and subordinates fairly, and only wished to do good in the world. But then there was his other half, his shadow. This was the side of Asano that had ordered the murder of his father, who had ties to gangs and mafias, and manipulated the people he knew to his own gain.

But what did he _want_?

Was this all some sort of ridiculous revenge over high school? They hadn't even interacted that often. Maybe it was something more? He had no idea, and it was driving him _insane_.

The creak of his door threw him out of his thoughts. He stood up, listening to someone punch in a code and unlock the door. It swung open, its creaking hinges protesting the movement.

"Shiota Nagisa, turn around," a loud voice boomed. He sighed and complied. Were they already moving him?

"What's this about?" he asked as the officer placed handcuffs on him.

"You will be meeting with your lawyer," he said. Lawyer? Already? He had been indicted only two days ago.

"I see," he said. He stepped out of the cell, noting how tense his four guards seemed. Then again, he had accidentally shot one a couple of days ago, he would be surprised if word hadn't gotten around. They were an older group than usual, he realized. _Probably want me to be escorted by people who are more experienced._

The marching of their feet echoed through the hallway. "So who's my lawyer going to be? Some fresh-faced kid right out of law school who's getting in way over their head?"

"We don't know, prisoner," the gruff man responded, "It's not your place to complain about who you get."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm just curious. Can't imagine anyone was jumping to take a treason case," he said. _God, I'm getting tried for treason. What the hell did Asano want out of this?_

"Silence, prisoner," one of the guards said forcefully. His voice was deep and unnatural sounding. Nagisa furrowed his brows. _What_? His heart pounded as he realized a number of things at once. It was _Sunday_ , the break in the work week. Why was his court-appointed lawyer meeting him on a _Sunday_? Let alone _late_ Sunday. His eyes focused on one of the guards. His breath hitched when he realized that her hair had the unnatural sheen of a wig.

Was Asano going to take him out before he could even go to trial?

The group stopped as they came in front of a door. The man slipped his keycard in and punched in six numbers. 9, from the looks of it. The door clicked and he pushed it open.

"Are you ready for the prisoner?" he called inside the room.

"Yes, we're ready to see him," a feminine voice called back. The man stepped back, holding the door open for him.

"Prisoner, enter," the man commanded. Nagisa reluctantly complied.

"Sure."

The room wasn't any different from the interrogation rooms he had been in. The walls were painted a dull beige, and the carpeting was gray and worn. He steeled himself for his "lawyers" if that's what they really were. His trained his eyes on the two women on the other end of the table.

"Would you like him with or without handcuffs?" the man asked.

"Without," the woman on the right said. Nagisa cocked an eyebrow. Without? That was unexpected.

"Very well. If you need any help, we have five guards posted outside of your room. There is a panic button underneath the table. Push it if you need help."

"Good to know. But I don't think that'll be necessary. We're just here to talk." The man shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

The door closed with a slam and oppressive silence filled the room as they sized each other up.

"Nagi-"

"Cut the crap," he snapped, cutting her off. Now that he was looking for it, he could see that both of the women were wearing wigs. The lines around their eyes were drawn on, and their suits were ill-fitting. They were fakes. "If I was brought here to be killed, at least be honest about it."

"That's not why we're here!" The one on the right cried.

"Bullshit!" Nagisa said, slamming his fist against the table. The two jumped. When would they show their true colors? "I guess it'd just be easier for Asano to kill me off now instead of going through the hassle of falsifying evidence, right? Damn bastard knew when to cut corners."

"Asano?" the woman on the left whispered. They looked at each other with their eyes wide. "So it was Asano behind everything?" Nagisa faltered a bit. Shouldn't they know their boss? Unless he was going through a proxy.

"Yes," he said simply.

"Nagisa," the brunette on the right said, "Don't you recognize us?" _Am I supposed to?_

"Should I?" he asked quizzically, tilting his head.

* * *

Isogai let out a breath of relief as the door slammed shut. They had done half of their job, they had one more task, and then it was up to Karma to bring everything home. He stiffened as their leader slapped him on the back.

"Relax, soldier, it's not like he's going to shoot you guys through the wall," he said with a booming laugh. They still had to get rid of him. Isogai hadn't had any time to think up a 'character' for this.

"I can't wait until he's out of here," Maehara said, "Any idea when they're moving him?" Isogai silently thanked his husband.

"No idea," he said, "I'm hopin' sometime this week. I'm sick of being his keeper." Isogai took a deep breath and focused. He needed to find a reason to get this man to leave, and he needed to do it soon.

"Right? His ass shouldn't be our problem," Okano agreed. _He has calloused fingers, probably from years of being a part of the military. His nose is crooked, probably from a fight of some sort. His back is hunched, probably from years of improper posture. That kind of thing probably causes pain if he doesn't sit for too long._ His eyes flicked up. _There are bags underneath his eyes, he's probably tired._ The man stretched.

"Boss, your back hurting you again?" he said before he could talk himself out of it. He shot Isogai a curious look.

"How do you know about that? Didn't you guys just transfer in?" _I was right..._

"I overheard some of the other guys talking about it," Isogai said quickly. The man scowled.

"I'll have to talk to Yuki about gossiping," he muttered.

"If you're aching, we can take over from here," Isogai suggested, "They're not going to be done for another hour, tops, and I doubt the suspect is going to try anything with four armed guards outside and two innocent women inside."

"I dunno, did you hear about how he almost took down Minister Karasuma?" Isogai froze. _He almost took down Karasuma-sensei?_ He glanced over at Maehara, Okano, and Kataoka, who were similarly perplexed. _When did that happen?_ He recovered after a moment.

"It's not anything we can't handle," Kataoka assured, "We've been doing this for a while."

"If anything goes wrong, we can just call for you," Isogai added, "Anyway, if anything _does_ happen, you'll want to be in your top form." The man thought over his words. Isogai's palms were sweaty. He _needed_ this man to leave. If he didn't, they would have to resort to more drastic measures. The man laughed.

"Good point, Ugaki-kun!" He slapped Isogai on the back again. He struggled to keep his balance, but managed. "I'm going to finish up some paperwork so that we can get out of here after this. I'll check up on you guys in half an hour." He gave them a wave as he walked away. As soon as he was out of earshot, Isogai fell against the wall.

"That was lucky! How'd you know he had back pain?" Kataoka asked.

"Observation," he said with a shrug, "I've seen similar slouching with our older customers." He wearily stood on his shaking legs. Yeah, they were only going to do this sort of thing _once._ His poor heart couldn't handle anymore!

"You did a good job, Isogai," a familiar red-head droned as he popped out of a nearby room.

"Karma," he greeted, "Are you ready to see him again?" Karma had a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"Yeah, I think so."

* * *

The girls had no time to explain themselves before Nagisa heard the sound of someone keying in numbers. The two quickly righted themselves, pretending to be serious. _What're they acting for?_ Nagisa tensed. The door slammed open and Nagisa saw the brief shine of a knife flying in his direction. He jumped backwards, kicking the table over. It would make a decent shield, if nothing else. The girls jumped back, letting out yelps of surprise. Nagisa ignored them. _I knew it, it was a set-up!_ The knife embedded itself into the wall behind him.

"What the fuck?!" He heard one of the girls shout. He pulled the knife out of the wall. _Shit, I'm outnumbered. The two girls, the attacker, and at least five more guards outside._ His fist clenched. _If I'm going down, I'm not going down without a fight._ Knife work was his forte. If he jumped and surprised them, he could slit their throats in about ten seconds. Nagisa heard them shuffle around. He couldn't wait any longer. He jumped over the table, using the momentum to launch himself towards the first person, the knife-thrower.

He caught the group by surprise, if their yelps were any indication. _They weren't professionals_ , Nagisa analyzed. He held the knife's blade against the red-head's throat.

Everything stopped.

 _Impossible._

"Good to see you learned something." Nagisa's heart skipped a beat. "After all, if you couldn't dodge a knife, you'd be a pretty shitty assassin." The familiar figure stepped forward, with no regard to the blade at his neck. Nagisa took a step backwards, relaxing his arm only a little.

"Karma?" he said, not believing the name that just escaped his lips. The redhead advanced towards Nagisa, forcing him against the table.

"You kept your hair long," he commented.

"You cut yours short," Nagisa responded. This was all so surreal. What was _Karma_ doing here? He let the knife fall to his side. Karma had never been good at personal space in high school, it didn't look like he outgrew that.

"You've got a weird accent, you forget Japanese or something?"

"I've been speaking Russian and English for the last eight years, forgive me if my Japaense is not satisfactory to you," Nagisa shot back. Karma got closer.

"You abandoned everyone," Karma hissed. The blue-haired man winced. He wasn't wrong.

"I'm not proud of it," Nagisa said honestly. He had spent plenty of sleepless nights questioning his decisions. Leaving Japan without telling anyone had been his biggest regret. Karma drew closer and Nagisa couldn't move back any further. Still, he stood strong. If Karma wanted to beat him, yell at him, then he deserved it. Their eyes met and Nagisa saw something he never thought he'd see. _Tears._

"We were all so worried," Karma whispered, his façade cracking. Nagisa's eyes widened. "We asked your mom, and she said that you got a job abroad. But we knew. We all knew. We were so worried for you." He had never seen his friend cry before. " _I_ was so worried about you." Nagisa felt his knees go weak and his heart go into overdrive. Rough lips pressed against his own. His knife clattered to the floor, forgotten by the moment. As soon as it had started, it was over. Their breathing filled the room. Oh.

 _Oh._

"How long?" Nagisa whispered.

"A long time."

"Karma. I-I—" Nagisa stuttered.

"Whatever, what's done is done," Karma said, cutting Nagisa off. "Let's go, we gotta get you out of here." Huh?

"We?" Karma grinned and stepped aside. The four guards from before were standing at the room's entrance. The two girls stood next to each other, their arms crossed. It was as if a veil had been lifted. _Oh my God._ Isogai, Maehara, Okano, and Kataoka were his guards. His eyes shot to the two women, _Kayano and Nakamura._ He furrowed his brows when he realized they were holding signs that said 10/10. _Huh?_ Maehara scowled.

"Why the hell do you carry those around everywhere?!" he shouted, "More importantly, why are they at 10/10 and we're just a 4/10!?"

"These are very important, you never know when you're gonna need to rate something," Nakamura explained.

"And you and Isogai-kun only get a 4/10 because you give it up too easily. You guys are sluts," Kayano finished, "This has almost nine years of pent up feelings behind it. It's much more exciting!"

"Karma? How long have they all been standing there?" Any traces of Karma's emotional outburst were gone, replaced with a devilish grin. Some things never changed.

"Since the beginning."

"I see." Nagisa punched Karma in the arm. He grabbed his tie and dragged him down to eye level. "We'll talk about this later." He pushed him away. "Who else is here?"

"Itona, Terasaka, and Okajima are on the eighth level monitoring cameras. But that's it," Isogai explained.

"You know, you pulled a real dick move back then," Nakamura said, folding the sign back up into her pocket. She crossed her arms.

"When this is all over, we should have that lunch you promised eight years ago," Maehara said.

"No running away this time either, Nagisa. We'll be watching," Kayano added. Nagisa chuckled, taking a headset from Karma's outstretched hand. He placed it in his ear, as he leaned down to pick up the knife he had dropped. He spun it in his hands.

"Well, I've just had an opening in my schedule, so I guess I can pencil you guys in." He looked at them, determination in his eyes. "Well then, let's get to it."

* * *

A/N: I've had that last scene planned since I first started writing this fic in February. I'm so excited to finally be able to put it into the fic!


	10. Escape

**Chapter Ten – Escape**

"We got him," Karma called over the radio. Static and feedback buzzed through the cheap headsets (probably purchased at a nearby electronics store). He smiled, they had really thrown this together, hadn't they?

"We're looking at you guys right now," Terasaka's gruff voice said, "Wave to the camera." Nagisa glanced upwards at the ceiling's camera.

"Are you recording?" he asked.

"No, it's a private live feed," Okajima said, "Anyone looking through the camera feed right now at security is getting a loop of you sitting down with Kayano and Nakamura."

"Are you ready for phase two?" Karma asked, looking over everyone.

"You mean, Phase Get the Fuck Out of Here?" Maehara asked, crossing his arms.

"That's exactly the one!" Karma chirped. Nagisa tilted his head, a little more than amused at the exchange. _They haven't changed at all…_ Nagisa was full of conflicting emotions. He was happy and regretful all at the same time. His friends hadn't forgotten him like he had thought they would. They _weren't_ angry. He never would've thought that they would still care for him. He thought that they would've moved on by now.

 _The unbearable heat of the desert was bearing down on Nagisa. He wrapped his scarf around his head, in hopes that it would keep away the worst of the sun. He gripped his robes against him._

 _"God, first I'm in Russia and now this? Next job, I'm demanding to go somewhere nice," he muttered to himself, "Dubai would be nice." He glanced down at his phone, carefully reading the directions. He was about two kilometers south of his destination, if the goddamn heat didn't kill him, then he should be there in about half an hour._

 _His eyes lingered on the screen, catching the date._

 _July 20_ _th_ _._

 _Oh._

 _Today was his birthday. Today, he would have officially become the age of majority in Japan._

 _It felt odd to think about. If he had asked himself where he would be on this day five years ago, his answer would have probably_ _ **not**_ _been in Tunisia. But here he was. In the middle of the desert, sweating down to his very core._

 _He vaguely wondered how different his life would be if he hadn't left (normally, he would push these thoughts away, but it was a special day and he had half an hour to do nothing). He was sure Sugino and Karma would drag him out for a night of drinking (despite the fact that neither were legal yet either). Maehara and Kayano would somehow get involved, and it would be a mess all around. He chuckled at the thought._

 _It was rare moments like this that he missed them. He missed their voices, their antics, and their laughter._

 _But this was the life he had chosen, and he was happy where he was. He was killing the worst of the worst, making the world a better place in the meantime. His friends may not be by his side, but he knew that they were better where they were._

 _Despite himself, he smiled. He was sure that no matter where they were, they were happy._

"So what's the escape plan?" Nagisa asked. Kayano dug into her bag, pulling out an outfit and a wig. He blinked.

"You'll be dressing up as me," she said, "And you'll be walking right out the front door. I'm going to be taking the back exit. If anyone confronts me, I can just say I got lost." She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "It's bound to work." Nagisa chuckled as she threw the clothes at him. He supposed it worked to his advantage that they were similar heights. He glanced up at the five expectant faces. They had gone through so much trouble to come and find him…

"I appreciate the gesture," he started, "But we should separate."

"What? What the hell are you talking about?" Nakamura cried.

"It's dangerous if you're seen with me," he said simply, "If you're caught aiding me, _you'll_ be brought up on treason charges. You don't deserve the death sentence for me."

"Yeah, so you can up and leave us again?" Kayano asked harshly. Nagisa winced.

"No, that's not it, I don't want to endanger any of you."

"You dumbass, we're already here busting your ass out, we're in as much danger as we possibly can be," Karma snarled, "We knew the risks when we came out here. Now stop stalling so we can get the hell out of here."

"You don't understand, I was _framed._ The mastermind has his hands in _everything_ , I'm sure he already knows you're here. You're in more danger than you realize." The group exchanged looks.

"If that's the case, we'll deal with it as it comes," Kataoka said, "Now _come on,_ we haven't got much time."

"Let us help you, Nagisa," Kayano said. Nagisa's further protests died on his lips when he saw the looks that the group was giving him. _They're really not going to let this go, are they?_ With a sigh, he let his arms fall to his side.

"Alright, let's go." The smiles they gave him warmed his heart. He held the clothes close to his person. As his eyes looked over his four friends, he became acutely aware of how their shirts weren't pressed, the way their belts were a little too tight. They had an air of uncertainty and unfamiliarity about them. In that moment, he remembered.

They're still just amateurs.

They were better trained than most, but they didn't have the years of experience that weighed down Nagisa. He furrowed his brows as a thought flitted into his mind. He activated the headset.

"Hey Okajima, Itona, Terasaka, I have one question for you. How did you get into the security system? Something like the Ministry of Defense would likely have a remote system accessible only from security."

"It's not remote," Itona corrected, "We hacked into it." Nagisa sympathized, he hated hacking.

"But how?"

"It's actually kind of funny," Okajima jumped in, "They actually had a pretty big hole in the coding." He chuckled. "I've come across celebrity systems with that hole patched."

Nagisa went cold.

 _Nagisa sighed and tried another approach. It was all he could really do. Not that he really thought Asano would have such an obvious hole in his own personal system._

The interrogator's words rung in his head.

 _"You and your team are doomed to die. Asano-sama will make sure of it."_

"Terasaka! You need to get out of there _immediately!_ " He shouted. _No, no,_ _ **no!**_ _He couldn't let this happen to them too._ "It's a trap! You need to get out of there! Abandon the plan! I repeat! Abandon the plan!"

"What the hell are you—?" Terasaka asked.

"Just get out of there!"

"Do as he says," Karma said, speaking through his own radio, "Get out of there."

"Right," Terasaka grunted, "Meet you at the rendezvous point." Then, it was radio silence.

"Nagisa, wha-?" Kataoka started. Nagisa pushed the straggling group into the room, slamming the door shut. It wouldn't do much, but it would give them a few seconds. In the distance, he could hear the pounding of feet.

"Karma, what's the fastest escape route?"

"Down the stairwell."

"Shit, they're going to have that covered," Nagisa growled to himself. He really wished he had a damn idea about the layout of this building. "Can you think of literally any other way out?"

"The elevator and windows," Karma said. Nagisa gritted his teeth.

"Are there multiple stairwells?" It was a large building, they couldn't just rely on one major stairwell to evacuate in case of emergency. The pounding of feet grew louder and Nagisa could hear the group nervously shuffle.

"Three, overall." _Three…_ _Shit, I need to know how many people are against us. Have Asano's men alerted the entirety of the building, or is it just a small faction? If we step outside, are we immediately going to get bombarded by cops?_ _ **I need more information.**_

"What about the roof?" _What would Asano do? What would best benefit him? I need to think ahead of him. A small faction would be easy to control and would closely follow his orders. But that requires finding more people to work for him. Setting the whole building on lockdown would make it more of a spectacle. It also makes it more likely that we'll be caught._

"What do you expect us to do on the roof?!" Maehara exclaimed. _He's planned this from the beginning. He's wanted to capture_ _ **all**_ _of us. But why? Why us? What does he get from this?_

"What do you mean, Nagisa?" The footsteps stopped. Nagisa gripped his knife tighter. He pulled a gun out of Isogai's holster. _God, I hope I'm right._

"Do you guys trust me?" He asked urgently. There were hurried nods. "Drop your visors! When they come in, I need you to be pointing your weapons at me, got it?!" He tossed the knife to Karma. "Sorry Karma, I'm dragging you down with me."

"You dragged me down a long time ago." They heard an ID card push into the slot, and the soft beeps of someone entering the passcode.

"When there's an opening, attack," he ordered. Nagisa pulled Kayano into a chokehold, pointing his gun at the entrants. Karma held Nakamura's arms back and his knife sat at her throat.

The door slammed open.

"If you shoot she dies!" Nagisa shouted, waving the gun around for emphasis.

"It's about time!" Kataoka shouted, her gun trained on Karma, "We pulled the alarm five minutes ago!" Nagisa was impressed, she took to the role very easily, although the trembling of her hand gave her away.

"Help!" Kayano cried, tears falling down her face. The guards faltered.

"Shut up," Karma spat, "Let us go and they don't die." One stepped forward, his gun lowered.

"No one has to get hurt," the man started, "Just drop the gun." He leaned down, placing his own gun on the floor. Nagisa almost felt bad for what was going to happen next. He watched their team quietly move to the back of the room, behind the new entrants.

"So your cronies can kill us?" Nagisa countered, pressing the gun hard against Kayano's head, "Step back and she doesn't die." Kayano trembled under his grip. Her acting skills hadn't deteriorated at all. Nagisa watched his team quietly raise their weapons above their heads. The change in their shadows caught the attention of one of the officers.

"What th-" was all he managed before the butts of their guns smashed into the back of the officer's heads. Two were immediately downed by the attack, though two remained. Nagisa was in action before they could react. He shot one in the calf, forcing the man down. He pushed Kayano to the side, using his body to defend her from the man who had been attempting to negotiate with him. He stood frozen, his arm extended in an attempt to grab his weapon back.

Nagisa held his gun at his forehead. "I'm not going to kill you tonight," he said, pulling the gun away. He leaned forward, his eyes bearing down into the man's. He used his left hand to grip the man's hair in his hand. "But I need you to tell me something. Are you working for Asano?"

"I don't know who that is!" the man exclaimed, trying to wriggle free. Karma sauntered up to the man, placing the blade against his throat.

"Are you lying to us?" Karma asked.

"No! We don't know anyone by that name!"

"Very well," Nagisa said. He slammed the butt of the gun into the man's head, knocking him out. The room was quiet, filled only with the moans of the man gripping his bloody calf. He pointed to Okano, she jumped a little in surprise.

"Take his radio," he commanded. Nagisa watched her trembling hands take the man's communication device. "You'll be in charge of monitoring their comm network. You need to keep track of their movements, understood?"

"Y-yes," she affirmed, sticking the earpiece in her other ear. _The man doesn't know Asano, I could tell he was telling the truth. His men aren't directly involved with this right now. That must mean that it's just the police and security involved. In that case, they're going to have the building surrounded._ He bit his lip. _If that's the case, once we hit the street, there's no way we can escape…_ He leaned down, pulling the man's helmet off. His terrified eyes stared back at Nagisa. Nagisa's fingers tore through his hair, knocking his head against the table with a loud bang. Satisfied that the man was now unconscious, he stood up.

"Nakamura, Kayano, you should leave now."

"Nagisa!" the green-haired woman protested.

"You have an alibi," he insisted, "If you run out now, you can leave through the front doors. It'll be easier for us to escape if we don't need to worry about you guys."

"We wanted to do this together," Nakamura said, crossing her arms.

"Do as he says," Maehara said, "If you can get out safely, do it."

"We would be much more comfortable if you could do that," Isogai added. Nakamura and Kayano's eyes met. Nagisa could hear more footsteps in the distance. _Unless we move soon, they're just going to keep coming._

"Look, if you want to be of help to us, then go out there and distract the officers," he said, "While you're seeking help from them, we can make our escape. It'll buy us time. Okay?" Kayano curled her hand into a fist. Nagisa understood her frustration, she never wanted to be in the sidelines in high school, not when she didn't have to be. She always wanted to help people directly.

She punched Nagisa straight in the face.

He stumbled back, more than a little surprised. "Kayano?!" he exclaimed, rubbing his nose, "What was that for?"

"What do you think, asshole?!" she responded, "I'll do it, but you have another fist waiting for you when I see you again! Got it!?" With fire in her eyes, she stepped over the bodies. "C'mon, Rio. Let's go." Nakamura trailed behind her, giving them a lingering glance.

"You guys better get out safe. Good luck." With resolve, she faced the set of officers whom had begun to gather. Nagisa could hear their pleas for help from the room and the scurrying of feet. He let out a breath of relief. They were impressive for amateurs, if nothing else. He looked back at the team. They couldn't stay here.

"We need to move while they're still distracted," Nagisa commanded, "Karma, where is the nearest stairwell?"

"It'll be right around the corner," Karma responded.

"Can you lead?" Nagisa asked, peeking out of the interrogation room. It was all clear, but he knew it was not going to remain like that for long. If they had Karma at front to lead them, then he could flank the group and protect them from any threats from behind.

"I can," he said, stepping over one of the bodies.

"We need to go _now_ ," Nagisa urged. They were bound to return soon. Karma pushed passed him, examining the hallway with his own eyes. He stood proudly, carefully waiting for any response from potential enemies.

"Come on," he urged, "It's clear, let's go." Nagisa let the group follow Karma's lead. Their shoulders were stiff with fear. They can't have expected this would be easy, but he was sure they hadn't thought _this_ would happen. He patted Isogai on the back, giving him reassurance that he would protect their rear. Isogai gave a small smile back, the strain on his face relaxing just a bit.

"We'll do it," Nagisa said, "We'll get you out of here."

"Thanks, Nagisa," Isogai said, "It's good to see you again."

"Yeah," he said, a lump in his throat, "It's good to see everyone again."

"We'll get you out of here, okay, Nagisa?" Isogai marched forward, leaving Nagisa feeling _another_ whirlwind of emotion. _They still care…_ It was surreal to Nagisa, who had spent so much of the last eight years alone. It had always been eat or get eaten, every man for himself, and that was the kind of attitude he had adopted. He wanted to live, so he had done whatever he had to do.

He fell in step behind them, watching their backs. It was from the distance that he could really admire how they had grown up. Karma still stood at his imposing height, and he seemed just as calculating and playful as he had been before he had left. His red hair was cut short, with an undercut on the side. He had grown confident, Nagisa could tell. He was comfortable as he was.

Maehara and Isogai stood shoulder to shoulder. They both had grown their hair out long, and it looked like they had their ears pierced as well. And was that a tattoo Maehara had? Were they still together? He would have to ask them when they got out of this.

Kataoka and Okano slinked to the sides, not quite as confident in the situation as Karma was. Kataoka's brown hair was cut into a bob. Okano looked largely the same, although her nimble limbs showed signs of muscle training. Maybe she worked as a personal trainer? They pushed through the double doors.

"We need to head up," Nagisa said.

"Up? What's there?" Kataoka asked.

"The buildings are so close together in this part of town, we should be able to easily move to another building. Once we're there, it should be an easy shot to the bottom, where we can make our escape."

"I see," Isogai said, "Avoid the worst of it."

"Anything on the comm network?" Nagisa asked, turning towards Okano.

"Nothing, it's jumbled. It sounds like they're concentrating on the elevators and the bottom floors. Nagisa, what are we going to do when the police officers starting investigating the stairwells?" Okano asked.

"Leave it to me," Nagisa said confidently. The others glanced between themselves, not quite as confident.

"Alright," Karma said, "Let's go. It's our best option now." With a firm nod, he turned around and started up the steps. Slowly and steadily, they increased the pace. They had a ways to go, but they needed to get there fast. Nagisa's focus wavered as he thought of Nakamura and Kayano. He hoped that they had gotten out okay. If he was wrong about his assumptions, then they were in great danger. He took a deep breath. They would be alright, he just had to have faith in them.

"How do you think Itona, Okajima, and Terasaka fared?" he asked.

"They got out before the worst of it," Kataoka reasoned, "I'm sure they're fine."

"Is there any way to check their status?"

"They disconnected from our radio frequency," Karma said, "I could text them."

"No," Nagisa cut in, "Not unless it's a secure line." His fingers curled and twitched, frustrated by the fact that he couldn't communicate with the team. They continued their march in silence. After the first five stories, Karma, Okano, and Kataoka were faring well, but Maehara and Isogai's steps were growing heavier with each flight.

"Yuuma, when this is over, let's take up running or something," Maehara said with a gasp.

"Agreed," Isogai responded.

"You guys are weak," Kataoka said.

"It's not like we walk up fifteen flights of stairs every day!" Maehara exclaimed. Nagisa chuckled at the banter. His laughter was cut short as he heard Okano gasp.

"Guys, they're entering the stairwells," she whispered. Their feet stopped and they went silent. In the distance, they could hear the sound of doors opening and feet shuffling.

"Is it coming from above or below?" Maehara asked. Nagisa closed his eyes, trying to locate the source of the sound. This damn stairwell was making sound reverberate so much…

"We should get out of here," he said. It sounded like it was coming from above, but he couldn't be too sure. It would be safer for them to just abandon it all together. Karma reached into his pocket and pulled out his ID card. He swiped it into the slot by the door. There was a click and it swung open. He held it open and gestured for the team to enter. Nagisa spared a glance at the floor number. _16…eleven more to go._

"What should we do?" Okano asked.

"Let's duck into a room," Nagisa said, "It's not ideal, but if someone comes, then at least we know where from." She gave a stiff nod.

"It's no good," Karma said, "This level belongs to the Defense Force, all of the rooms are locked. Even my ID isn't going to be enough to get into them." Nagisa swore. Of course, they were like rats.

"No, this door is ajar," Kataoka said, pushing open a door, "It looks like someone forgot to close it all the way."

"Lucky!" Maehara said. Nagisa frowned, given Asano's power, he wouldn't be surprised if that was a trap as well. But it was better than being sitting ducks. He gestured for Karma to follow him in. Long bookshelves lined the walls, stuffed with boxes and files. Nagisa could see that the room went deep into the building, hooking off to the left. They huddled together behind one of the bookcases.

"Where are we?" Isogai wondered aloud.

"It looks like an evidence room," Karma said, "It might be a file room for employees, but I doubt the Ministry has physical files anymore."

"An evidence room," Nagisa muttered. He glanced around, "I'll be right back."

"Nagisa!" Kataoka hissed, but he ignored her. If this was an evidence room…

He followed the names, trying to orient himself within the sea of names and folders. His own file should be further in the room. He felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced behind him, seeing a familiar red-headed figure.

"If you want to find your folder, you shouldn't go alone, dumbass," he said, "They'll keep watch, but let's make this quick." Nagisa nodded, not taking his eyes off of the names. _I should be somewhere around here…_ He walked down the aisle, keeping an eye out for his name. _I'm getting closer…_

He stopped suddenly, causing Karma to run into him with a "Oof!"

There it was.

An ordinary box sat in between a sea of other names. It was innocuous, nothing giving away the fact that it belonged to someone who had killed countless people. It was inscribed with his name. _Shiota Nagisa._ He knelt down to get a closer look at it. The box was small, smaller than he expected. Then again, they probably had taken his guns to another room or were in analysis. That didn't particularly matter right now, he just needed a few things. He pulled the box out and placed it on the floor. He flipped open the lids, chuckling as he saw his wig on the very top.

"What the hell is that?" Karma asked.

"My disguise," Nagisa explained, pulling out the wig and the electrician outfit. The defunct ID card was still attached to the lapel, much to his amusement. He set it to the side in a crumpled mess. Numerous folders laid underneath it, none of which were actually his own. _This must be what Asano used to frame me._ He tucked one under his arm to look at later. If he was lucky, it would have some hints on Asano's end goal. He grabbed his wallet and shoved it into the waistband of his pants. He let out an excited noise when he realized that his knife was there. They had taken the guns, but not the knife Karasuma had given him. He pulled it out and placed it to the side.

His breath hitched when he finally saw what he was looking for.

It was sitting in a tangled mess at the bottom of the drawer, like it had just been thrown in there. Nagisa took the necklace out of the box and affixed it around his neck. He let out a breath of relief. He had felt naked without it.

Karma was staring at him with an odd look. "Y-you kept it?" he choked out.

"Yeah," Nagisa affirmed, playing with the small yellow charm on the end of it, "I always liked the reminder that you guys were still there." Nagisa threw the evidence back into the box, putting it back where he had found it. Karma still had the odd look on his face.

"You know that I came up with the idea, right? For the necklace…"

"You did?" Nagisa asked, surprised, "I thought it was a gift from everyone?"

"Y-yeah, I'm the one that suggested the idea to everyone," he said, looking away. Nagisa was endeared, that was oddly sweet of him.

"I've brought it everywhere I've gone," he said, "I even took it to a jeweler when it started turning. I didn't want to ever lose it." Nagisa glanced at Karma's face. _He's flustered, I didn't think this would mean that much to him._ When they got out of here, they would have to have a long chat.

"What did you get?" Maehara asked.

"My wallet and some of the planted evidence," Nagisa said, "I want to try and figure out what Asano's motive was, or rather, is. This might give me some clues."

"I still can't believe Asano would do this, what happened to him?" Okano wondered.

"I dunno, but we can speculate later," Nagisa said.

"Shh!" Isogai said, lowering his voice down to a whisper, "I hear footsteps." Their breaths were short. Nagisa's heart pounded against his chest, the safety on the gun clicked off, ready to fire at his will. They were still, fearful that the officers would hear the slightest movement.

"Any sign?" They heard a voice ask.

"No sir," a woman replied. He swore.

"They must've gone down," he said, "Keep looking, we know they're still in the building."

"Yes, sir!"

Nagisa let out a breath as their footsteps became fainter and fainter. He heard a distant door open and close and the floor was silent once more.

"We should keep moving," he said, "We're not in the clear yet. We've got eleven more floors to go." They gave him their affirmation. Nagisa pulled open the door to the stairwell, taking a moment to listen for footsteps or voices. They were clear.

"Eleven more floors to go," Karma said. Maehara and Isogai both groaned.

"Nagisa, you're buying us drinks after this," Maehara said as they started upward. Nagisa chuckled.

"I suppose I owe you that much."

"How much money are you sitting on, anyway?" Isogai asked, "Not to be rude, but your services can't be cheap." That was a good question, Nagisa hadn't really taken the time to look at his bank accounts recently.

"Hold on, I have to think about it," he said. There was 50,000 USD coming in from his last job. A million for that job in Prague. Four mil from the Dubai job… "Well, if I had to guess, I would say 15 to 17 million…" Maehara made a choked sound.

"Yen or…?"

"Uh, I think I have like five million euros…six million US dollars, and then four million Swiss francs."

"Okay, I take that back," Maehara said, "You're buying us dinner _and_ drinks."

"Agreed," Kataoka said. Nagisa chuckled.

"I think I can do that."

* * *

Isogai and Maehara were leaning against each other, panting and rubbing their sore leg muscles. Nagisa rolled his eyes, they had _just_ made it to the roof, _and_ they were only halfway there. They still had another set of stairs to go down!

"Are you ready?" Karma asked, readying his ID card.

"There's going to be guards there," Nagisa said. He was sure that they were aware, but he needed to make it abundantly clear. They were close, but not in the clear yet.

Kataoka gave a stiff nod, stepping to the side, so that she would not be in the line of fire once the door was opened. "How many do you think there are going to be?"

"Two," Okano said. She tapped her stolen earpiece with her slender index finger, "They had more, but they've assumed we're downstairs somewhere."

" _Only_ two?" Nagisa asked, somewhat surprised. It _had_ been a while. It was entirely possible that they had already thought that the group had escaped and that an all-clear was about to be issued. _That means that the guards up here wouldn't be on high alert. They're not expecting an attack from above._ _This works in our favor._

"Yeah," Okano confirmed, sliding next to Kataoka to avoid being seen. Nagisa looked back towards Karma and gave him a firm nod.

"You need to be my backup, are you ready?"

"I'm ready," he said. One hand gripped a knife, the other his ID card. He was ready. Nagisa was close behind him, while the others took spots against the wall. Karma swiped his ID, a soft beep indicating acceptance. He punched in the code he knew by heart. Nagisa's hands were on his pistol, ready to shoot.

The door swung open, and for a brief moment, Nagisa thought they were in the clear. No immediate gunfire came, nor could they see anyone in the immediate vicinity. He didn't allow himself to relax, Okano had said that there were two men up here, and he trusted her word. When no gunfire came, Nagisa slowly stepped out into the night. Karma was right behind him, his knife poised to attack.

The roof was some sort of communal area, Karma had told him as much. Many employees went up to the roof for their lunch breaks, to take a smoke, or to simply get away from the stifling confines of the grey and black offices. Round tables were placed sporadically throughout the roof, some with umbrellas to protect the people from the sun. Chairs were misplaced, custodial staff hadn't had the chance to put them back in order yet.

"Are we clear?" Karma asked, his voice hopeful.

"No," Nagisa said. His eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the night, so he listened to any sudden sounds and movement. Had the guards heard them conversing before coming out here? They must've given themselves a hiding spot.

There was shuffling to their right. Nagisa grabbed Karma's shoulder, pushing them both down to their knees, using the weak protection of the table's legs as cover. Karma gave him an odd look, but remained silent. They sat for a minute…

Two minutes…

They kept their breaths short, trying to hear any and all movement.

Three minutes…

Then they heard it. It was the unmistakable sound of rubber soles hitting concrete. Nagisa closed his eyes, willing his honed senses to identify the location of the man. _Wind is south by southeast, they're not far…_ His eyes shot open. _They're at our three._ Nagisa adjusted the grip on his gun, clicking the safety off.

In a single movement, sat up, shooting in the direction of the guards. A muffled cry indicated that his guess was correct. They responded with shots of their own. A bullet came inches away from his face, causing Nagisa to step backwards.

"Stand down! We've already called for reinforcements!" One shouted. They needed to end this fast. A knife went sailing by Nagisa's head, causing him to jump. For a moment, he had forgotten that someone had his back. _I've never had someone support me before. It's kind of nice._ There was a cry, apparently Karma wasn't that bad either.

"When did you learn knife throwing?" Nagisa wondered aloud, his eyes still searching for the guards.

"College," Karma said, as if it explained everything (it kind of did). His eyes caught a shift in light, before he could let out two shots, a single shot rang through the night. It grazed by Nagisa, brushing his hair as it passed by. His relieved breath was cut short as he heard a loud cry behind him.

Time slowed down. Nagisa felt splatters of warm blood against his cold skin. Karma fell to his knees, gripping his shoulder as his palms tried to keep back the flowing blood. Nagisa's vision went red. Unable to control himself, he shot twice in the direction of the gunfire. The first shot missed.

The second didn't.

The man went down, never to speak again. Frightened, the other guard stood up, trying to find better cover. He was down with a second gunshot.

"Karma!" Nagisa cried, his mind already going crazy with what-ifs. _If I hadn't urged him to cover me… If only I were a little more to the right. If I had taken that gunshot instead of him._ Karma writhed in pain, unable to get words out in the haze of pain.

"N-Nagisa," he said, his voice cracking. Nagisa gulped. _We can't stay here. I need to treat his wound, but reinforcements are already coming. If we stay here…_ He didn't want to continue that train of thought.

The rest of the group took Nagisa's cry as cue to leave their posts. Okano and Kataoka covered their mouths in shock at the state of Karma.

"Karma!" Okano gasped, kneeling down to his side. He let out a cough, some blood splattering on the ground. Nagisa steeled himself.

"Karma," he said seriously, "Can you move?" The others looked at him horrified, the thought of moving someone with such a serious wound seemed inconceivable for them. Nagisa thought back to a wound he had gained in the cold winter of Russia. He had to walk three miles to the nearest family doctor in the middle of the night. At least the cold helped then. Karma didn't have that luxury.

Karma groaned, and weakly stood up. He threw his arm around Nagisa's shoulder, using him to help stand up. "Y-yeah."

"We need to keep moving," Nagisa said, "Can you manage that?" Nagisa's instincts were screaming at him to give him medical attention. _He's probably going into shock._ If they waited too long, he could get an infection or bleed out. _Not to mention the blood evidence he's leaving behind…_

"Yeah...I can."

"Karma! You're bleeding!" Kataoka cried.

"I noticed," he said dryly.

"Someone lend me their shirt," Nagisa commanded, "We need to stop the bleeding, or at least slow it." Maehara quickly stripped his shirt off, handing it over to Nagisa. Using his strength (and years of experience treating his own wounds), he tore it apart. He tied the strips around Karma's shoulder, ignoring the way he let out grunts of pain at any movement. He was acutely aware of their time ticking down, second by second. "How's that?"

"Painful."

"It should be," Nagisa said. He lended a shoulder to Karma, who took it without a moment's hesitation. He pointed towards the nearby building. "That's where we're going. The fire escape to the nearby building. We need to move fast."

"But...Karma…" Kataoka said weakly.

"I can handle it," Karma snapped. She jumped a little at the fierceness in his voice.

"Alright," she said, turning away. Reluctantly, the group moved towards the ladder. Nagisa took a moment to close their eyes.

They were going to get out of this.

They had to.

* * *

The mood as they entered Karma's apartment was mixed. They couldn't help but feel relieved that they had managed to enter and escape the Ministry of Defense with a high level prisoner. It was thrill that they never thought they would experience (and certainly would never experience again). It was an accomplishment of the highest degree, and Nagisa was sure there were contact that would pay them a hefty amount to do it again.

On the other hand, Karma had grown more pale since the rooftop. The bleeding had slowed, but not stopped. Nagisa let his old friend lay down on the couch. His breathing was short and his movements weak.

"Karma, do you have any gauze or _anything_?" Nagisa asked.

"In the medicine cabinet," he said hoarsely. He heard Isogai's hurried footsteps rushing towards the bathroom. Karma was trying to regulate his breathing, although the pain made it difficult. Nagisa heard the pitter patter of Karma's dog behind him, it whined worriedly at his owner.

"What's your dog's name?" Nagisa asked, hoping the question would keep Karma distracted.

"47," he said. As if to respond, the dog yapped.

"You named your dog 47?" Nagisa asked, the strangeness of the name throwing him for a momentary loop.

"Y-yeah," he said with a grunt, "S-so together we're AK-47." Nagisa let out a snort. The name was so _Karma_ it was ridiculous. Isogai returned with medical tape, ibuprofen, alcohol, and a towel. Nagisa took each of the items, placing them by his feet. He slowly undid the makeshift bindings, pulling the ripped t-shirt and throwing it to the side.

"Isogai, can you also get me scissors and plastic wrap?"

"Y-yeah!" he affirmed, hurriedly running to the kitchen.

"Can someone let Terasaka know we're okay?" Karma requested.

"You're not okay!" Kataoka protested.

"I'm alive and not in prison, aren't I?" Nagisa rolled his eyes. _He's not in the clear yet!_

"I'll do it," Maehara offered.

"He's in apartment 487," Karma said, "Tell him to bring beer."

"You're not drinking beer!" Okano exclaimed. He let out a chuckle, his head rolling back.

"That's right, I have vodka in the cabinet under the sink." Both of the women let out exasperated noises, unable to comprehend Karma's sarcastic quips at a time like this. Maehara pulled his shoes back on, heading out to inform Terasaka that they were, in fact, still alive and out of prison. Isogai returned with plastic wrap and scissors. Nagisa snatched the scissors out of his hands, immediately cutting Karma's shirt. The aforementioned man made a despaired noise. Nagisa cocked an eyebrow.

"I liked this shirt," he muttered. Nagisa rolled his eyes, and continued cutting. It would cause Karma too much pain and irritate the wound if they took it off normally. _Besides, the shirt is never going to get rid of those blood stains._

Nagisa could finally get a good look at the wound. It didn't appear there was an exit wound, a small blessing if there was one. Although…

"We're not going to be able to get the bullet out," Nagisa said. They didn't have the proper anesthetic, nor the right tools. Even if he did, he didn't trust himself to dig the bullet out without doing damage to the surrounding muscles. He had field training, not medical training. Karma would have to live with bullet in him.

"Whatever," Karma said. Nagisa poured some of the alcohol onto the towel, spot wetting it. He pressed it against the wound, ignoring the way that Karma grunted at the pain, sharply pulling away. Nagisa pushed down harder, they needed to disinfect what they could. The last thing they needed to deal with right now was an infection. Nagisa worried that they had waited too long to disinfect it, that he wasn't getting everything.

"How are you doing, Karma?" Okano asked, kneeling down next to him.

"Just peachy," he spat, his temper too short to deal with people coddling him right now.

"When was the last time you got really injured?" Nagisa asked, somewhat out of curiosity and somewhat to distract him. He pulled out some of the plastic wrap, placing a square of it over his chest. Given the location of the wound, Karma was at risk of having his lung collapse unless he got a sealed dressing.

"I broke my leg in college. Got drunk and some asshole said I couldn't jump to the pool from a third story balcony. So I had to prove him wrong." Nagisa snorted as he taped the dressing down.

"I was on a job in Russia when I got shot. Had to walk straight through the Russian winter with a gaping bullet wound for three miles until I found a family doctor. Still have the scar." He used the rest of the medical tape to close the wound. The bleeding had slowed significantly, which was a good sign. Nagisa stepped back. He opened the bottle of ibuprofen that Isogai had brought him.

"Russia, eh?"

"Yeah, Russia." Nagisa offered him two pills. "Take these. They're not going to get rid of the pain, but they'll take the edge off, if nothing else."

"Only two?"

"I'm not dealing with an overdose," Nagisa shot back, his patience already wearing thin. Karma gave him a look, but swallowed the pills anyway. Isogai offered him a glass of water. Karma gulped down the cold liquid, sitting up.

"All things considered, this could've been a lot worse," he said quietly, his mind going wild over the events of the last 24 hours.

"Yeah," Nagisa said, standing up. His knees ached at the movement. _I'm getting too old._ Kataoka, Isogai, and Okano reluctantly took seats on the surrounding furniture. "You're hurting, and it'll probably scar, but you'll live." With Karma finally free, the dog yapped and licked his owner's hand. It trembled, sensing that its owner was in distress.

"Thank god, what would the world do without me?" Karma asked, absentmindedly

petting the nervous dog.

There was a knock at the door, followed by the doorknob turning. Nagisa spun around, relaxing only when he saw familiar silhouettes in the doorframe.

"You got shot, asshole?" a loud voice boomed.

"Nice to see you too, Terasaka," Karma said, "I don't suppose you brought beer?"

"You bet your ass I did," he said, closing the door behind him, "Your cheap ass still owes me a six-pack."

"I was shot, give me some slack."

"Were you shot the night you came over to my apartment unannounced and decided to play my video games?"

"I have no comment."

"Nagisa, good to see you again, bro!" Okajima greeted, pulling him into a hug, "Man, it got wild back there, but we did it." Nagisa pulled back, a smile working its way onto his face. It was one thing for him to hear that they were okay, it was another entirely to see them for himself. Okajima hadn't changed much in the last eight years. He could tell that he had broken his nose at some point, and that he had bulked up a little, but not much else was different.

"But you know, if you get caught again, we're not doing that again," Kayano said.

"Yeah, agreed," Nakamura said, taking a beer from the six-pack Terasaka had brought and cracking it open. Maehara followed her example, taking a good long gulp.

"Karma, you have used your lifetime break-a-friend-out-of-jail card," Maehara said.

Nagisa's heart was soaring. He was so glad to see that they were alright… He couldn't even begin to express his gratitude in words. They had taken such a risk to save him, and they had _succeeded_. He pressed himself up against the wall, watching the people he had grown up with celebrate a job well done. They cracked open beers (although kept them a good distance away from Karma) and laughed. The tension that had filled the room just ten minutes earlier cleared, replaced instead with satisfaction and happiness.

"Let's drink to a job well done!" Nakamura exclaimed. There were scattered cheers and the sound of cans clinking together. Nagisa watched them, detached. _This was all for me..._

"Good to see you, Nagisa," Itona said, sliding next to him silently.

"Good to see you too, Itona." His hair was shaggily cut, and he had a little hunch in his back, like he spent a lot of time at a computer or over a table. Nagisa guessed that Itona probably got his dream job as an electrical engineer or product developer. He still had the wild eyes from his youth, with a hint of mischievousness.

"It was a close call down there," he said, "The moment after we left, the building locked down."

"Yeah, it was a close call," Terasaka said, joining the conversation. He spread himself over the couch without regard to Karma, who protested, "We're damn lucky we got out." Terasaka gulped down the open can in front of him.

"What about you guys?" Nagisa asked, turning towards Kayano and Nakamura.

"Our acting killed it!" Nakamura exclaimed, "They totally thought we were just caught in the crossfire."

"They let us go after a half hour of questioning. We gave them our fake names and addresses and everything. We'll be out scot-free!" Kayano added, taking a seat next to Nagisa on the floor.

"Can you believe that we actually did it?" Okano asked, "I'm still shaking."

"It was a long-shot, but _we did it!_ " Kayano agreed enthusiastically, "It's so crazy!" Maehara handed Nagisa a beer that he had taken from Karma's fridge. He smiled and opened the can. He took a long drink, enjoying the chance to relax for the first time since he arrived in Japan. The room dissolved into scattered chatter and conversations.

"So Nagisa, what have you been up to?" Okano asked, leaning over the couch.

"That's kind of a big question," he said, "I've done lots."

"Where have you been?" Kayano pushed, "You must've done a lot of traveling!" _That_ was an understatement. He had been on every continent except for Antarctica.

"Yeah, I've done my fair share. I've been to India, Russia, the UAE, Kuwait, Russia, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland…"

"That sounds incredible," Kataoka said, "Ah, I wish I could travel."

"What have you guys been doing?" Nagisa asked. He had tried asking Irina at the café, but she insisted that he find out for himself. "Karma, Terasaka, you both work for the Ministry?"

"Yeah," Karma affirmed, "I work in Defense Policy and Terasaka works in Personnel Management."

"We all got offered positions at the Ministry upon graduating college," Kataoka explained, "Most of us declined. I'm currently working as a teacher at a nearby high school, I'm also their swim coach."

"I'm a personal trainer," Okano said, "I teach yoga and gymnastics. It's a lot of fun!"

"Product development at a start-up," Itona said, his mouth full of chips he had found in Karma's cabinets.

"I am Celebrity Public Enemy Number One!" Okajima declared, posing with the declaration, "Even other paparazzi fear me!"

"You're disgusting, Okajima," Kayano said. There were murmurs of agreement among the girls.

"I'm currently finishing law school," Nakamura explained, "I'll be graduating in a few months."

"Congratulations, Rio," Nagisa said earnestly. It was nice to see that his friends had grown up so well. "What kind of law do you want to practice?"

"I'm interested in international law," she said, "So I'm looking into doing a few years abroad once I graduate."

"That's incredible," Nagisa said. They were really great…

"Yuuma, Kaede, and I own a maid café," Maehara said, "It's called the Pink Octopus. Maybe when you stop being Japan's most wanted you could come and visit." Nagisa blinked. He must've heard that wrong.

"You guys own a _maid_ café?"

"Yep, Yuuma handles all of the business parts of it, Kaede is the head chef, and I do all of the operational things. We're doing pretty well for ourselves, I'd say." Isogai beamed behind him.

"Are you and Isogai still together?" Nagisa asked curiously. Maehara grinned and grabbed Isogai's hand to show off their matching rings.

"Together forever, bitch! Now he can't get rid of me!"

"Why would I want to get rid of you, Hiroto?"

"I can think of a few reasons," Kayano muttered under her breath.

"How long have you been married?" Nagisa inquired, genuinely interested. He could remember back to when they had first started dating. _That_ had been the gossip of the school for a while.

"We had our four year anniversary in May," Isogai said.

"I'm sorry I had to miss the wedding," Nagisa said honestly. He had missed a lot of things, it seemed. "I'll be sure you get you guys a belated wedding gift."

"Oh you don't have to do th-" Maehara's hand was over Isogai's mouth in an instant, cutting him off.

"We also accept cash," Maehara said. Nagisa laughed. He'd write them a check when he got the chance. Chatter began to fill the room again as the conversation died. Okano and Kataoka were talking about their respective students. Terasaka and Itona were bickering about the best restaurants in the area. For a brief moment, he forgot that he was now Japan's top criminal. He forgot that he had killed hundreds of people. He forgot that he had given up the best years of his youth to pursue a fucked up sense of vigilante justice. He was just a 26-year old kid hanging out with his friends and drinking beer.

Nagisa smiled gently. Is this how his life would have been if he had stayed? Would he be talking about the best TV shows airing? Would he have a boss to complain about or students to gush over? Would everyday feel as light-hearted as it did right now?

"Hey, let's watch a movie or something," Nakamura said, "There's gotta be something on TV."

"Yeah, I'd like that," Nagisa agreed, riding the high of being with the people he'd grown up with for the first time in eight years. Karma threw her the remote from the couch. She caught it and flipped it on. On screen was some sort of game show. She flipped through the channels, skipping reruns and anything that didn't catch her interest. She paused for a moment as it hit the news.

"-eaking news, the Ministry of Defense is reopening after a three and a half hour lockdown after treason suspect Shiota Nagisa escaped." Okajima clapped Nagisa on the back. The screen flashed to a mug shot. It was a bittersweet reminder. On one hand, he was out and having beers with his friends.

On the other, his career was over.

"We did that!" Okajima exclaimed.

"A group is involved in the infiltration and jailbreak. If anyone has any information on the following persons, they are urged to contact the police immediately." Two images flashed on the screen, two work headshots.

Everything stopped.

"Ministry of Defense Workers, Akabane Karma and Terasaka Ryoma." An image of a white-haired man. "Engineer, Horibe Itona." A shot of a man holding a camera _._ "Paparazzi, commonly known as Celebrity Public Enemy Number One, Okajima Taiga." A shot of three people in front of a café. "Owners of the Pink Octopus Maid Café, Maehara Hiroto, Isogai Yuuma, and Kayano Kaede." Another. "High School Teacher, Kataoka Megu." Another."Law Student, Nakamura Rio." _Another_. "Personal trainer, Okano Hinata." The camera flashed back to the anchor. "Anyone who has information on any of these persons is urged to immediately call the number below. They are considered armed and dangerous."

His head whirled around to the group, who had the same look of horror on their face. _No, this isn't…this isn't how this was supposed to go! Everyone was supposed to be safe!_ The remote fell to the ground, Nakamura's grip slacking.

 _"You and your team are doomed to die. Asano-sama will make sure of it."_


	11. To Safety

_A/N: There's a minor MTNN crossover here. I asked my beta if i should go with it and she's had 0 objections._

 **Chapter Eleven**

The sound of the television echoed through the room, the words falling on deaf ears. Nagisa's head slowly turned towards the team, who were staring at the television with unseeing eyes and identical expressions of horror. He tore his eyes away from them, unable to keep the guilt from gnawing at his heart. _They don't deserve this…_ He couldn't even begin to comprehend the depth of what they must be feeling right now. He had nothing, he had always had nothing. Whatever happened to him, it didn't make a difference. But them…they had spent the last eight years of their lives building up to something they could be proud of. They had gone to college, started careers and businesses, gotten married.

And it was all gone.

 _They were trying to help me._ Nagisa clenched his fist, rage boiling beneath his skin. _They don't deserve this!_ They were going to lose everything because of _him_. They were in this situation because of _him_. The thought made him feel sick. What had he ever done to earn their respect? Abandoned them without looking back? Never contacted them again? Whatever the reason, there was only one fact that Nagisa knew to be true.

Asano Gakushuu was going to die. He would make sure of it.

But that didn't matter right now. He could plot his vicious _murder_ later. His comrades were identified and he was certain police would be surrounding them any minute. They needed to get to a safe place and they need to get there _now_.

"We need to move," Nagisa said, standing up and shaking them out of their stupor, "You guys have been named, your homes are going to be the first places they look. We need to think of places to go and _fast_." They were momentarily silent as they struggled to find words. It was Isogai who spoke first.

"What about Sugaya's?" Isogai suggested, his voice throaty from fighting back tears. Nagisa blinked. Sugaya? Why him?

"Why Sugaya?" Nagisa asked.

"He did our disguises," Karma explained, sitting up in the chair with a grunt and shaky limbs, "He's already involved, but he wasn't named." It would work for the time being.

"That's good for now," Nagisa agreed, "But we're going to need to move tomorrow. Once they've investigated your homes, they're going to contact acquaintances. But we need to get out of here _now_." He put as much urgency in his voice as he could. It was important that they knew that they couldn't stay here any longer. Their lives were in danger. "Can someone call Sugaya?"

"I can," Maehara volunteered, pulling out his phone.

"Good. You call while we move. Everyone, you need to leave everything here, including your cell phones. Law enforcement can track your location through them."

"But Nagisa -!" Kataoka protested. He silenced her with a stare.

"Leave everything. Your lives are more important than your things," he said harshly. With great reluctance, they fished through their pockets, pulling out their phones and wallets. Maehara was off to the side, waiting for his call to go through. They placed the items on the table with shaking hands. He gave them all a cold look, daring them to keep their things. Anything they kept could be traced back to them. The last thing they needed was law enforcement swooping down upon them. Maehara ended his call not a moment later.

"It's no good, he won't pick up," Maehara announced, "He's probably still at his show. I left a voice mail." Nagisa paused, his eyes widening. _Shit, they're going to check his phone records. What the fuck, am I slipping? Am I really that panicked? I need to calm down._

"Destroy your phone," he ordered.

"What?! Why?!"

"They're going to check phone records. The police can still find the records, but by the time they get them, we'll be long gone. Throw it down the garbage disposal." Maehara had a choked look on his face.

"B-but, my phone!"

"Just do it," Kayano said coldly. Maehara shivered at the look she gave him. He stepped towards the sink, and with only a moment's hesitation, dropped the device down the disposal. He let out a pained noise as he flipped the switch and heard the sound of plastic, metal, and glass scraping together. Satisfied, Nagisa turned back to the group.

"Does anyone know where he lives?"

"I do," Isogai volunteered, his voice sounding stronger, "I can get us there."

"Perfect," Nagisa said. He hoped that Sugaya got the voice mail in time. The poor boy was in for a surprise when he got home if he didn't… "Come on, let's go." Nagisa offered Karma his hand.

"Someone grab 47's leash. It's by the door," Karma said. Kataoka held up a garishly decorated red leash.

"Is it this one?"

"Yeah." She leaned over and leashed the dog, who wriggled and accepted its fate with a yap and a wagging tail. Nagisa didn't bother protesting, he doubted Karma would willingly leave the dog behind anyway. He stood to his full length, catching their attention.

"Follow me," the assassin said. He opened the door, checking to see if the hallway was clear before proceeding. It would do no good for any of them if the cops were already on their doorsteps. He spared a glance behind him, at the terrified group of people. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead. _I have a lot of people to look out for. More than last time._

"Terasaka, can you lead us to the garage?"

"The garage?" Terasaka asked, perplexed.

"We need transport out of here."

"Why the hell are we taking our cars?"

"Who said we're taking your cars?" Nagisa shot back, his patience wearing thin. He just needed them to be in a safe place. _This is my fault._ Terasaka scowled, but agreed. Nagisa trailed behind the group, partially out of obligation to watch their backs, partially because it was hard for Karma to move quickly. His hand trembled. He had to get them to safety, it was the least he could do.

They saved him.

They had risked everything for him (and it was looking like they had lost everything for him). He wasn't sure he could ever repay them for that, but he would damn sure do everything in his power to protect them. Even if it meant sacrificing his own well-being. The weight of Karma on his shoulder was a reminder of that. He had already taken an injury, Nagisa wasn't about to let that happen to anyone else. _This is my fault._ Terasaka opened the door to a stairwell at which both Isogai and Maehara let out simultaneous groans.

"More stairs?!" the blond exclaimed dramatically.

"Suck it up," Kataoka shot back at him.

"Easy for you to say," Maehara muttered. They were all on edge, Nagisa could tell. He wasn't sure the full implications of what was happening had hit them yet. Honestly, he hoped it didn't hit them until they were someplace safe. The last thing he needed was for them to suffer a breakdown before then.

They descended the stairs in silence, with nothing but the sound of their own breathing to accompany them. When they reached the garage, they simultaneously deferred to him. "What now, Nagisa?" Okano asked. Nagisa's eyes scanned the parking lot, trying to find what he was looking for. His eyes fell on a white vehicle near the back _. Lucky!_

"Over there," he said, pointing to the van. Judging by the logo on the outside it was some sort of flower delivery vehicle. Tomorrow morning, some poor soul was going to wake up and find that their livelihood was stolen. Until then, they needed to protect _their_ livelihood. His eyes fell on the recycling bins kept down here. He grabbed an old metal hanger that some tenants had discarded and unfolded it as he approached the car.

"Are we stealing a car?!" Okano asked in a hushed whisper.

"No," Nagisa said, "We're stealing a van." Karma snickered.

"Same difference!"

"Okano-san, you helped break someone out of jail. Adding auto theft to that charge isn't going to make a difference." She huffed. Isogai took over supporting Karma while Nagisa began to do the dirty work. Nagisa stuck his knife in the door. "Terasaka, I need someone to leverage the door open while I unlock it. The man scowled, but placed his hands on the handle and pushed. The van creaked in protest. Nagisa pushed the straightened coat hanger into the opening it made. He fished around for a few moments before he heard a clicking sound. The door opened. He grinned. _Success!_

"Need someone to hotwire it?" Itona asked, tilting his head.

"You know how to hotwire a car?" Terasaka asked, incredulous.

"College," he said with a shrug as he approached the car. Nagisa stifled a laugh. He could hotwire the car himself, but he would love to see Itona do it. Nagisa unlocked the rest of the van, ushering the makeshift team of criminals into the van. They were smushed together between chrysanthemums, oleanders, and hydrangeas. Just as the last person (Okajima) was shoved into the van, Nagisa heard the hum of the car starting up. _Impressive_. Itona stepped back and let Nagisa take the driver's seat. He shoved himself in the back, closing the doors behind him.

"Alright, Isogai, tell us where to go."

* * *

Nagisa parked several blocks away as a precautionary measure. When the owner of the van finally realized their vehicle was missing, it would not be in their best interests to have it right outside their hiding spot. Isogai led the way as they slinked through the night as best as an eleven person group could.

The neighborhood was not nearly as nice as Karma and Terasaka's. Graffiti painted the alleyways, and dark figures stalked around the corners, giving them suspicious looks before turning away. Nagisa's hand twitched over his knife, ready to cut down the witnesses, but decided against it. A trail of bodies was just as bad as a van parked in front of the apartment complex.

"It's here," Isogai announced. The building was just as beat up as the surrounding neighborhood. Paint was chipping off of the façade, trails of smoke were coming out of windows, and shouts could be heard from the neighbors. Stray dogs and cats barked and hissed at each other, fighting over territory and food. 47 was shaking, his tail curled up into his body.

Isogai led them through the broken down complex, knocking on a door on the third level. They waited with baited breath for a response. If they were lucky, he was already home and had gotten the text message. Otherwise, they would have to break in. _Although,_ Nagisa thought, examining the doors, _That might not be too hard._

The door creaked open, and a very familiar man stood at the door. He ushered them in, closing and deadbolting the door behind him.

"Nagisa," he greeted.

"It's good to see you, Sugaya-kun."

"And it's nice to see you walking about. How'd you like my disguises?"

"They were great. I was fooled for a while." Sugaya smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it." He turned, looking at Karma. "What happened to you?"

"A bullet," he said sarcastically, "Do you have any pain meds?"

"Yeah, you need some?"

"I need _all_ of them."

"He doesn't need all of them," Kataoka corrected with an eye roll. Karma scowled at her. Sugaya disappeared into his bathroom, coming back a moment later with two pills in his hand. He handed them over to Karma, who greedily sucked them down. Sugaya offered him a sip from his water bottle, which the man eagerly took. Nagisa made mental note of how many pills he had taken so far. Knowing Karma, he wasn't doing the same.

"So I hear you guys have gotten into a bit of trouble."

"That's not even the half of it," Terasaka muttered under his breath.

"I got your voicemail, Maehara, but you didn't respond when I tried to call you back."

"I had them abandon their phones," Nagisa explained, "Law enforcement can track people through them. We need a place to stay for tonight, and you were the best option." Sugaya nodded thoughtfully.

"If you stayed at Karma's, the police could find you there, right?"

"Yeah," Nagisa said, "I'll find somewhere else for us to stay tomorrow, but it was short notice and we had no other options. We'll be out of your hair soon enough." Sugaya collapsed on his chair.

"I suppose," he said. He closed his eyes and stretched. "Besides, I got myself involved the second I decided to help everyone with their disguises. It's almost unfair that I'm getting off scot-free anyway. I'll help as best I can." He looked around. "So what exactly is happening?"

"We were identified, _by name,_ as the people who broke Nagisa out," Kayano explained.

"But I thought that's why we erased your records and created false profiles?"

"It wasn't enough," Nagisa muttered, "Someone knew you guys would be coming. They identified you and leaked your identities."

"Nagisa, you were muttering about being framed while we were in the Ministry," Isogai said, "I think it's time that you told us everything." Nagisa sighed, leaning against the wall. It was fair for them to know the whole story.

 _This is my fault._

"It started after my last job ended," he recounted, "I had been personally requested for a job in Japan."

"Is that usual?" Kataoka asked, "Being personally requested?"

"It's not unusual. I have a solid reputation and name for myself." _Or rather, I_ _ **had**_ _a solid reputation_. "However, this request was unusual, because it was for someone I had known as a teenager. Asano Gakushuu."

"Him?" Sugaya asked, surprised, "Why him?"

"Honestly, looking over his profile, I wasn't surprised. Over the course of the last eight years, he's created numerous connections to the underworld, including the Russian mafia, Yakuza, and Triad. He's responsible for calling a hit on his own father and ruthlessly manipulating his superiors and anyone whom he sees as a threat. So the request itself wasn't suspicious." He observed their reactions to this information. Okajima and Okano looked shocked, but many of the others had furrowed brows, trying to process the new information. Nagisa crossed his arms.

"I had assumed that he had pissed off the wrong they were trying to eliminate him, but he wanted to take care of them first. I later learned I was wrong."

"Can't you ask for information about the person requesting?"

"No," he said, "It's a breach of etiquette. Clients require confidentiality, which is why they go through Lovro, who vets them. I never see the face of the client, I only receive their paycheck." He closed his eyes. "I was hesitant, but after reading and rereading his profile, I accepted the job. I flew out not long after that." Nagisa let out a heavy sigh. "It was during the assassination that I realized I had been tricked. I was aiming to assassinate him in his office, but when I pulled the trigger, I realized I had not hit my target. Instead, I had unintentionally assassinated the MEXT Minister."

"So you did kill him," Kayano said, her voice sounding odd. Nagisa closed his eyes and nodded solemnly.

"Yes. He was not my target, but I killed him." The group simultaneously turned to stare at Karma, who sat looking innocent. Nagisa noticed the odd reaction and frowned. "What?"

" _Karma_ here was convinced you hadn't done it," Maehara said pointedly, "He _insisted_ you were innocent."

"I'm innocent in all the other assassinations, at least," Nagisa protested weakly. 47 finished plodding around the room, coming up to Nagisa to nuzzle against him. His fingertips brushed the fluffy dog, giving him some assurance.

"Anyway, what happened next?" Karma asked, ignoring the other's piercing stares.

"I learned that Asano had called the hit in on himself. I was arrested and taken to the Ministry of Defense's holding cells. That's where he told me that he was going to frame me for the assassination of the other Ministers."

"Why?" Kayano asked.

"I don't know," Nagisa answered shortly. It was driving him crazy. Why the hell would he go through all this trouble just to fuck with them? "My best guess is some sort of twisted revenge over our school days, but I couldn't tell you for sure." He glanced towards the files he had stolen from the evidence room. When they finally found someplace secure to stay, he would have to take a look through them.

"That would explain why there were no dispatch records," Karma muttered.

"What?" Nagisa asked.

"When I first saw you being moved for interrogation, I started looking into things. One of the biggest pieces of evidence that pointed to something fishy was that there were no dispatch records for that area. As a matter of fact, there were dispatch records for police to get _out_ of the area."

That was…

Interesting.

Nagisa hadn't known that. He had just thought that he was arrested by police. He had no idea that they weren't official. But that lead to a bigger question, just how many people did Asano have under his thumb? Was he paying them, or were they following him based on some sort of fucked up philosophy? Were they attracted to his power and charisma? Just how far did his network reach?

"I didn't know that," he admitted, "The men who arrested me looked very much like policemen to me. I thought they were official." For them to so easily take him into the Ministry's holding cells, he had to have men actually _in_ the Ministry itself. The thought was kind of frightening.

"And they took you directly into the Ministry…" Karma said, piecing together the same pieces of the puzzle Nagisa was. "You said Asano came to talk to you?"

"Yeah," Nagisa confirmed, "It was mostly to brag. He didn't let anything else slip." Nagisa's mind wandered to the memory of the interrogation. They had unknowingly played directly into Asano's plans, and he wasn't sure how they were going to react to that. "There is one thing though, something that the interrogator had said."

"The interrogator was involved?" Terasaka interrupted.

"Yes," Nagisa confirmed.

"That would explain why it was such a strange duo doing the interrogation," Karma muttered. Nagisa raised an eyebrow. They had done their research. It was impressive.

"The interrogator told me that my team and I were doomed to die," he said flatly.

"Your team…?" Okano asked.

"I've always worked alone," Nagisa explained, "I had no idea what he meant until now. You played right into Asano's hands." He watched their shoulder droop with the weight of his words. Nagisa felt a lump in his throat at their defeated looks. They had thought that they were doing their friend a favor, that they were doing this of their own free will.

But they weren't.

They were being manipulated, puppets in the hand of the show master.

 _This is my fault._

"But how would he know that we would come?!" Maehara protested.

"I don't know," Nagisa admitted, "I don't know how he knew that, I don't know why he wants to take you guys down too. I just know that he's behind this."

"How can you be so sure?" Terasaka asked, "Seems like a reach to me."

"How else could you explain how you guys got into the Ministry so easily?" Nagisa demanded, raising his voice, "How the the building with the most advanced security system in the _country_ had such a glaringly obvious security hole? Why were there so many guards mobilized on a Sunday night? How did the press know your names, _despite_ all of you using false identities?!" Terasaka faltered. Further protests died on their lips.

Nagisa hadn't mean to take out his frustrations on them. It was a mask for the frustration and hatred he was feeling towards himself. He _hated_ the fact that they had risked their lives to get him out and that because of it they may have had everything ruined.

Sugaya leaned down to pick up the dog, who was happily running around, ignorant of the tension and worry in the air.

"So what do you want me to do?" he asked.

"We'll be gone tomorrow," Nagisa promised, "We just needed a place to crash for tonight." He gave them a nod.

"I don't have a lot of space, but if someone wants to share my bed, they should be able to fit. Two people can take the couches, and two people can take the air mattress. Everyone else is stuck on the floor I'm afraid."

"It's fine," Kataoka assured, "We did sort of throw this on you last minute." Sugaya smiled at his old friend before putting down the dog to root through the linen closet for blankets.

"Hey, Sugaya, I have a question for you," Nagisa said, "You wouldn't happen to have spare wigs and make-up, would you?"

"I do. What for?"

"I need to make a call."

* * *

Nagisa left the apartment the next day around eight am, fully disguised. He had 47's leash in one hand and his wallet sitting heavily in his pocket. He was glad he had thought to take it when he had the chance. He thought he'd need it to purchase plane tickets, but now he could support his team, rather than relying on Sugaya's generosity. His cards were securely under different aliases at international bank accounts, which protected his money.

Nagisa pulled his wig forward, conscientious of how large it was on his head. Karma had insisted that he buy some dog food for the poor pup and Nagisa needed to purchase a cell phone. With the dog food already in hand (along with some snacks for the team), he stopped by a sketchy looking electronics store, picking up the cheapest prepaid cell phone he could find.

"That'll be 3,000 yen," the cashier said. He pulled out his card, inserting the card into the chip reader and entering the pin. The cashier gave him an odd look. "You look familiar." _That's right, my face has been plastered all over national television. Probably all over_ _ **international**_ _television too._

"I get that a lot," he said coolly, "I've just got one of those faces." The cashier chuckled.

"I've been there. My best friend and I are practically twins," he said, "Would you like your receipt?"

"Yes, please," Nagisa said, taking the slip in his hand. He took the phone in hand and shuffled out of the shop as quickly as he could. He turned the corner into a deserted alley. He ripped open the packaging, tossing it away into a smelly dumpster. 47 sat and watched the trash fly across the alley. He helpfully picked up a piece that had missed the bin.

Over the years, Nagisa had memorized hundreds of numbers. They included everyone from his mother to fellow assassins. Given the nature of his job, he couldn't ever guarantee that he would have the same phone from country to country, so it was helpful to memorize the numbers he wanted to keep. He slowly typed in the number he probably knew better than any other.

 _Nagisa realized belatedly that he probably shouldn't be listening to this conversation._

 _He hadn't intended to stumble upon Karasuma having a meeting. He had gotten out of his study group early, and decided to stop by before his training that night. He had even helpfully brought hot pork buns to share, which were quickly cooling in the thin paper bag._

 _"You know the terms of the deal," a rough voice said. It was familiar, but Nagisa couldn't quite place it. He had a thick accent, Russian it sounded like. Through the thin door opening, he saw Karasuma shift uncomfortably._

 _"We understand that," Irina said. Nagisa blinked, she was there too? She must be just out of sight. "But we beg you to reconsider."_

 _"I have given you too many resources to let this just slide," the voice said. It was so familiar, where had Nagisa heard him before?_

 _"He shouldn't be risking his life abroad, his skills could be best put to use here. He has friends and family here, you can't just ask him to give that all up," Karasuma explained. Nagisa felt himself go cold. They were talking about him. There was a slam that sounded like a fist against wood._

 _"That wasn't the_ _ **deal**_ _!" Deal? What deal? "Do I have to remind you of the agreement that_ _ **you**_ _signed, Karasuma. You groom the kid, and you'll be granted unlimited use of his skills pro bono. He needs to come with me for that!" Nagisa's grip slackened and his throat went dry. Had he just been a part of a deal this whole time? Was he just some prize to be won?_

 _Fury bubbled up within him and betrayal stabbed at him. Why couldn't he ever be in control of his own life? Why was he_ _ **always**_ _stuck being some puppet? First his mother, and now his sensei! He curled his hand into a fist, how dare they?! Who the hell did they think they were?!_

 _"We think he would do better here. You can still work with him, but let him stay here," Irina said. Why the_ _ **hell**_ _did she think she could speak for him!? He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He fought back tears. He simultaneously wanted to punch a hole in the wall and curl up into a ball and forget everything he had just heard._

 _He thought he could trust them, he thought that they were training him because they believed in him. He had a skill he could finally put to use and do some good with (even if that skill involved killing people)._

 _"That wasn't in the contract. I refuse."_

 _This was the last straw. Nagisa did the only thing he could do. He ran. His footsteps heavy against the linoleum tile. His footsteps and pounding head masked what the man had to say next._

 _"You two have grown weak. You care about him, don't you?"_

 _Nagisa cancelled training that night. And the next. He cited upcoming exams and not the fury and betrayal he was feeling. When he did see his teachers a week later, he couldn't look either one of them in the eye._

 _So when Lovro offered to take him away a few days after that, Nagisa accepted. Just so he could have control of his life for once._

His finger hovered over the call button. Nagisa knew exactly how this conversation would go, and he wasn't happy about it. Calling now would be better than putting it off, and he could probably get a contact's name or number.

He hit call.

The phone rang a few times before a familiar voice picked up.

"Hello?" the voice over the phone answered.

"Boss, it's the Viper," he said. Silence reigned, Nagisa could only hear the sounds of cars and chatter in the background

"I see," Lovro said, "So you got out."

"Yeah," Nagisa confirmed. His boss let out a relieved sigh, an unusual show of emotion for the assassin dealer.

"It's a shame though," Lovro started. Nagisa's heart sunk. Here it comes. "That the Viper fell into fire."

"Y-yeah. Understood," Nagisa responded, his throat dry. This was it. He was officially burned. Lovro wanted nothing to do with him anymore. His hand shook. "You wouldn't happen to know anyone that might have a couch myself and ten of my friends could crash on, would you?" Lovro took a moment to answer.

"I might know someone. He's not very smart, and a little hot-headed, but he's got his priorities in order." There was shuffling on the other end of the phone. "He's the current president of Mochizuki Research Company. He's been in business a long time now, he's bound to know someone. Let him know that I sent you." Nagisa nodded. Lovro listed off his number and Nagisa took care memorizing each digit.

"Thank you, Lovro," he said, "I mean it, thank you for everything."

"Good luck, Nagisa." The call ended and Nagisa felt bittersweet. Lovro had looked after him for the last eight years, and although the man wouldn't admit it, he had a soft spot for Nagisa.

 _"How was India?" Lovro asked. It was the first time Nagisa had seen his contact since he first left three months ago. It was comforting to_ _ **finally**_ _see a familiar face._

 _"Educational," Nagisa responded. He sipped at the coffee, enjoying its bitter taste._

 _"Oh? How so?" Lovro leaned forward in his seat, paying rapt attention to his words. Nagisa struggled to succinctly describe everything he had learned in the past few months._

 _"It's different than just training," he started, "I had to use everything I learned and even more than that. I think…I think if I got that same job now, after these experiences, I could do the same thing in a month." Lovro's mouth twitched into a smile._

 _"I see," he said, "I'm pleased to hear that. Where would you say you need the most improvement?" Nagisa thought over the question. It was clear that he was nowhere near perfect in any of his skills, but if he had to choose one…_

 _"Preparation. Karasuma-sensei taught me a lot about actual assassin technique, and Irina-sensei went over some scenarios I might run across. But if I was better at preparation, the India trip could've taken probably half the time." Lovro smirked._

 _"That's a very good answer." He stirred his coffee. "I'm sure your education at the hands of Irina and Karasuma was very thorough." Nagisa felt that same stab of betrayal he felt whenever he thought of his mentor (it would take years to go away). The click of the spoon against the ceramic stopped. Lovro pierced him with an intense stare. "But there's plenty they couldn't teach you. Techniques they deem morally questionable, the realities of the world of assassins, and most importantly: experience." He laced his fingers together and leaned forward. "So Nagisa, what do you want to learn first?"_

Nagisa repeated the numbers in his head, keeping each one to his memory. This was Lovro's last gift to him, the one lifeline he could give Nagisa. He might never see his mentor again, so he would do his best to honor that gift.

* * *

"Why the hell can't you do this alone?" Terasaka muttered under his breath as they stalked through hallways of the Mochizuki Research Company. Their employees were very good at averting their eyes. Their heads were ducked and their eyes glazed over the odd group.

"I needed manpower," Nagisa explained.

"You _kill_ people for a living, do you really need manpower?" Terasaka shot back.

"When I meet with contacts, they are usually people I have interacted with before or someone who I know through mutual contacts. This is different, I don't know him and he doesn't know me. I cold called him based on a number that Lovro gave me." Nagisa looked at Terasaka. "Besides, there's strength in numbers." Terasaka grunted, still not quite convinced. Okajima and Maehara looked worriedly between them.

They stopped in front of a door. Nagisa's eyes scanned the plaque in front.

 _Godai Shinobu_

 _Company President_

 _That's the name Lovro gave me…_ Nagisa knocked on the door to Godai's office. There was a muffled, "Come in!" Nagisa pushed open the door, his eyes falling on the lone figure behind the desk. He was an older man, probably in his early 40s. His blond hair was peppered with strands of gray, and there were stress lines throughout his face. They regarded each other.

"Get the fuck out of my office," Godai growled, standing up. Nagisa closed his eyes and sighed. He had an idea that this would happen.

"We came here unarmed," Nagisa said, holding his hands up. Okajima and Terasaka mimicked him. "We are not looking to harm you or any of your employees."

"I don't have any business with _terrorists_."

"Lovro sent me," Nagisa said forcefully. This gave him pause. "I'm being framed. I'm innocent."

"Why the hell should I believe you!?" Godai exclaimed, "I help you and then _I_ get my assed charged with aiding a fucking fugitive." He pounded his fist against the desk. "Get the FUCK out of my office!"

"We just need a place to stay," Maehara said, stepping forward, "Nothing else. After that, we'll be out of your hair and you won't ever see us again."

"Bullshit!"

"What the fuck is your problem?!" Terasaka shouted, also stepping forward. Nagisa sighed. This was not how he wanted this to go. He stood face-to-face with Godai, his face contorted into a deep and angry scowl.

"The fuck is my problem?! You just waltz in here as if the whole god damn country isn't looking for _your goddamn asses_ and then you come here to drag **me** into this. You assholes have a lot nerve!"

"Are you fucking deaf, old man? Just answer our goddamn question and we'll be out of your hair."

"Who the fuck are you calling old man, brat?!" Godai shouted, fisting his shirt. It was time to intervene. Swiftly, Nagisa separated Terasaka and Godai, pushing Terasaka to the floor. Godai was furious. "I'm not going to say it again. Get the fuck out of here."

"We need your help!" Nagisa pleaded.

"What the fuck do I get out of this?" Godai snapped, pulling himself back to sit on his chair. Nagisa tilted his head.

"500,000 Yen, for an address and your silence," he said, laying down the bag he had brought with him. He pushed it towards Godai, who grunted. He regarded the bag cautiously, his fingers hovering over the zipper. Nagisa leaned forward. "All we need is a place for eleven people to stay, then we are out of your hair forever. Someplace that won't attract the attention of the police or other people. Can you think of _anything_?" Godai regarded him coolly. As the old adage went: money talks.

"If I give you a place, will you leave me alone and forget I ever existed?"

"We won't step foot within 500 feet of the building," Okajima promised. Godai growled.

"It should still be free," Godai muttered to himself, "That asshole's gonna be in South America for a while."

"What was that?" Maehara asked. Godai scowled at him.

"Fine," he spat, "I know just the place." He pulled out a memo pad and wrote down an address. "It's abandoned, and it includes the bottom and second floor. It should be enough to hold eleven people and keep you out of the police's eye." He slid the paper across the desk, along with a single key. Nagisa grabbed it. "Don't lose that, you're not getting another one."

"Thank you," Nagisa said.

"Now get the fuck out of my office."

* * *

Nagisa, Terasaka, Karma, Nakamura, and Okajima stood at the doors to the address that Godai had given them. The other six were hanging back in (another) stolen van, waiting for the all clear to enter. They had decided that moving as separate groups was going to be easier and slightly less risky. People paid attention to eleven person groups, not so much to smaller groups.

The building was worn down, probably from years of disuse. A broken and worn down sign laid crumbled on the door.

"-Katsu…" Okajima muttered, reading what was left of the top board, "-Tect- Agency…"

"What are you muttering about?" Nakamura asked.

"The sign," he said, "Some sort of agency used to be here."

"Congratulations on your reading comprehension," Karma said sarcastically, unlocking the door. The hinges squeaked loudly against the sudden movement. Karma stepped into the environment, taking in the whole office. Nagisa's eyes scanned for any immediate threats. _Wide windows, could potentially be spotted or sniped. Wallpaper is loose, as is carpet, weapons or bombs could easily be stored without notice. Otherwise… It's decent._ Godai was not kidding when he said it would fit eleven people. The office was spacious, and there were stairs that connected directly to another room downstairs. There was little room for sleeping, but that was inconsequential.

Nagisa signaled the six to come in from the window. He turned around, taking in the room. The office wasn't bad, it would do for now until he could figure out what they wanted to next.

He struggled with a way to bring up to the group that it was likely they would never recover from this. If they stayed in Japan, they would spend the rest of their lives on the run. They would never have the opportunity to breathe or get back what they once had. Their best option would be to leave the country as soon as they could. He had a contact who specialized in false papers based in Japan, once he contacted them, they could be out with fake passports within the day.

But that was for another day.

As Isogai and Maehara collapsed against each other on the couch and the others explored their new accommodations, Nagisa let out a sigh of relief. They were safe. For now.

* * *

 _A/N: I'm not even going to pretend this wasn't an excuse to get Godai and Terasaka to yell at each other. For clarification's sake, the kids are in fact staying at the old Katsuragi Detective Office. I would imagine Neuro and Yako would be too busy traveling the world to keep the offices up, but they'd want to keep the offices just in case. I'd also imagine that they'd purchase the bottom level for Yako to move into. I tried to make it clear, but the kids don't know any of that, so it was challenging to clarify._


	12. Denial

**Chapter Twelve - Denial**

"This place isn't in bad shape," Isogai observed, looking over the office, "It's a little dusty, but it's not quite as abandoned as your contact said it would be."

"Yeah, it looks like there's still an internet hook-up," Okajima said, turning on an old computer. It turned on with loud chime. Kataoka was examining the television. She pressed a button and jumped when the television buzzed to life.

"We've got an active cable hook-up here," Okano muttered, leaning down to change the channels, "That'll be helpful at least. We can monitor the news."

"Just what kind of place is this?" Maehara wondered, "It's obviously an office of some sort."

"Do you think it's Yakuza?" Itona asked. They shivered at the thought.

"I hope not," Okajima muttered, "The last thing we need is some beefed up dudes with tattoos coming to beat us up." He flexed his non-existent muscles to emphasize his point.

"I don't think that's going to happen," Nagisa said, "Godai-san may not like us, but I don't think he's the kind of guy that would set us up like this." Although, he wasn't quite so confident in that assertion. He wondered how he and Lovro became acquaintances. The businessman wasn't exactly the kind of person Lovro liked to associate with. _Although,_ Nagisa thought, _I'm never going to get the chance to ask him now._

"We're back!" Two voices called as they entered the office. Kayano and Nakamura were on food duty. Since they were the best actresses of the group and knew how to use the make-up they had swiped from Sugaya's place, they were elected to go out and get provisions for the large group. They were dragging in six rather large plastic bags full of food. The group had been lucky to find that the bottom level of the office had both a small kitchen and a bathroom attached.

"Finally!" Terasaka exclaimed, taking a couple of the bags from their tired arms, "What'd you guys get?"

"Some ready-made bentos. Curry, onigiri…" Kayano said.

"Fruits, vegetables…" Nakamura continued, "And beer of course!" Okajima chuckled.

"Good choices, ladies, good choices."

"We should be able to make a good meal from this tonight," Kayano explained, "Although we only got enough food to last us for the next two days." She gave Nagisa an apologetic glance, handing back his credit card. "Sorry that we have to use your money."

"It's alright," Nagisa assured, "It's my fault you're in the mess anyway."

"We got it!" Okano exclaimed, finally finding the channel that they wanted. An older woman was on screen, sitting next to a serious-looking older man. They were reporting on traffic conditions. Maehara and Okajima were already breaking into the snacks. Nagisa took a seat on the couch, next to Karma. He listened to the report with half an ear.

"And now, we turn to Yoshimune-san for the weather," the woman announced.

"Karma, are you doing alright?" Nagisa asked, looking at him with concern. He was pale and sweating. He had taken to barely moving to reduce the pain.

"Other than the bullet wound, I'm fine," he said dryly. Nagisa's brows furrowed in concern.

"Are the painkillers working?"

"As effectively as they can."

"We should change your dressings soon," Nagisa said, "The last thing you need right now is an infection." Karma grunted in agreement.

It was after a moment he asked, "Do you know how long these take to heal?"

"About two weeks," Nagisa replied, "Most of the pain will be gone in about ten days, assuming no strenuous activity. Though you may still feel pain with movement for several months." Karma groaned.

"So I'm useless?" Nagisa chuckled.

"I wouldn't call you useless," he said. _After all, you're the one that decided to come and save me._ They fell into silence as the man on screen went over the five day forecast. It was going to rain tomorrow. Wonderful.

"You've been thinking about it too, haven't you? About what we're going to do?" Karma asked lowly. Nagisa glanced around him. He still wasn't quite sure the implications of their situation had hit any of the others yet.

"Yeah," Nagisa said after a beat, "I don't think we can stay here for long." He looked at Karma, who was regarding him seriously.

"We're probably going to have to leave the country, aren't we?" he asked.

"Yeah," Nagisa admitted, "I can't see us being able to get out of this easily. Sooner or later we're going to need to flee."

"It's a shame," Karma said, "I kind of liked it here." Nagisa swallowed a lump in his throat. _This is my fault._ They were suffering because of him, they would have to abandon everything they had built up in the last 26 years. Karma met his eyes. "But, I trust where you're going to lead us."

"W-why?" Nagisa spluttered, "Why would you trust me?"

"Because I know you won't abandon us again."

"Yeah. I won't," Nagisa said, mostly to himself. He wouldn't abandon them again, he _couldn't._ If they truly wanted him to leave, he would turn around and not look back. But until that day came, he would help them stay alive and get back on their feet. It was a promise.

"Now back to our ongoing coverage on Shiota Nagisa." Nagisa's head shot towards the television. The room silenced, conversations ceasing. Even the ravenous Okajima and Itona had stopped their minor feast of potato chips. "There is an ongoing joint investigation being conducted by the Ministry of Defense and National Public Safety Commission on how the suspect was able to escape." The screen cut away to a serious-looking woman with dark, short hair.

"Rest assured, we are fully cooperating with the investigation. If anyone has any information on the suspects, we urge them to contact their local law enforcement agency as soon as possible." The screen cut back to the anchors.

"Officers have found further evidence of plans to assassinate the remaining Ministers upon raiding The Pink Octopus Maid Café." Isogai, Kayano, and Maehara stiffened. "They have also found documents to suggesting a money laundering operation." The screen cut away to a garishly decorated building surrounded in police tape. Police were everywhere. Inside, outside, examining every square inch.

"T-that's not-!" Isogai spluttered weakly. The screen cut to a shot of a girl in a wig and a short maid uniform.

"I can't believe it! Maehara-san, Isogai-san, and Kayano-san didn't seem like those kind of people." Another cut back to the anchors.

"Investigators are saying that this assassination group may only be a small part of a bigger organization. Citizens are urged to key an eye out for any suspicious activity. Once again, if you have any information on their whereabouts, please call the hotline below. Do not engage with them." The story shifted to international news, but no one was listening. Isogai let out a choked sob, falling to his knees.

"Yuuma," Maehara said gently, grasping his hand and kneeling next to him. He buried his head into his husband's shoulder.

"W-we spent so much time building that café and making it ours," he choked out in between sobs, "So much time and effort and _love_ went into it, Hiroto."

"I-I know," Maehara said, tearing up himself, "I know, Yuuma." He wrapped his arms around his husband. Nagisa turned his eyes away from the scene, guilt gnawing at his heart again.

"W-we're not going to be able to go back," Isogai said quietly.

"Yes we will," Maehara said firmly, "We'll be able to go back. I-I'm sure of it. We-We'll see our employees again, we'll spend time trying to fix that damn light that keeps flickering, and w-we'll clean up afterwards, complaining the whole time." Maehara's voice grew shakier with each word. "W-we'll go back."

Nagisa took a look at Kayano, whose whole body was shaking. Silent tears streamed down her face.

"We're not," she said, her voice cracking and wavering, "We're not going to be able to go back." She curled up. "We're not going to be able to go back!" Nagisa averted his eyes, unable to keep looking at the emotional scene.

"W-well, if we prove the conspiracy…" Kataoka started.

"We'll be arrested and spend years in jail in the process! Even if Nagisa is innocent, we broke a suspect out of the goddamn Ministry of Defense! Even if we somehow got proven innocent, who's going to return to a café where suspected terrorists operated? Who's going to hire us again?! It's all gone!" Kayano exclaimed. Nagisa shut his eyes, the guilt overwhelming him. _If I hadn't been arrested…if I had been more careful…if I had made my escape earlier…This wouldn't have happened._

 _This is my fault._

The truths of Kayano's words were hitting the makeshift team. The implication of her words stabbing their way through their hearts. Nakamura's hand curled into a fist, her nails digging into her skin.

" _Shit_ ," she swore, echoing the sentiments of the entire room. Isogai's sobs began to die down, replaced with sniffling.

This was his fault. _This was his fault._ Those four words repeated themselves over and over in his head.

 _This is your fault, Nagisa._

* * *

That evening, they fell into fits of uneasy sleep. The revelations of the last few days were finally catching up to them and sinking into their skins. Their sleep was punctuated with fearful fits and nightmares. Karma was wide-awake, his mind stuck on other thoughts. Maehara and Isogai were sleeping against the wall across from him, wrapped in each other's arms.

Karma had always been envious of them. What they had was so simple and easy. They never strayed from each other, and they never spent days worrying about whether the other reciprocated their feelings. There was never any doubt in their relationship that they meant the world to each other. Even in the early days, it had been so simple for them.

 _"Guys, you'll never guess what I just saw!" Nakamura said, running in. Karma perked up, interested. She always had the best gossip._

 _"What is it, Nakamura-san?" Kayano asked, taking the bait._

 _"Oh my god, are you guys ready for this?" She said, catching her breath. "Guess who I saw making out behind the school!?" Karma sat back. Okay, this was a little less interesting than he hoped._

 _"Uh…Sensei and principal?"_

 _"No! You're disgusting!"_

 _"Come on, Nakamura, don't leave us hanging!"_

 _"Alright, alright," Nakamura said, conceding, "It was Isogai and Maehara!" There were shouts of surprise. Karma arced an eyebrow. The serious leader type and the playboy? Dating? Did she really expect them to believe that?_

 _"Are you serious?!"_

 _"Shit, I owe Okano 2000 yen!"_

 _"No way, I don't believe it!"_

 _"What's everyone shouting about?" Isogai asked as he walked in, Maehara right behind him. A couple of girls started giggling while the rest of the class went dead silent. Isogai gave them a confused look. Nakamura, who didn't have any sense of subtlety, drove straight to the point._

 _"Make out with anyone behind the school recently?"_

 _Maehara and Isogai both went bright red, confirming, at the very least, Nakamura's report. Karma arched his eyebrow. Did they really…?_

 _"T-that's, w-well..." Isogai stuttered. Nakamura laughed. She enjoyed seeing their usually composed friend flustered. Isogai turned towards Maehara for help. The blond was equally as flustered, but recovered quickly. He smiled brightly before wrapping his arm around Isogai's waist, bringing him in._

 _"Yeah, we're dating," he declared. He kissed the boy on the cheek, somehow making Isogai even redder than before. "What of it?"_

 _"Nothing~" Nakamura sing-songed, "Although, I think Kataoka owes some people some money now." The aforementioned girl buried her head into her hands._

 _"W-wait! You guys bet on us?!" Isogai exclaimed, finding his voice again. Karma glanced towards Nagisa, who was laughing along with the rest of the class. He smiled and wondered, are there any bets on us…?_

Karma sat up, pulling a cigarette and a lighter from Terasaka's stash. He left the office, stepping outside into the stairwell. It had been a while since he had last smoked. He didn't really _need_ the burn of the drag, but breaking an old friend out of the Ministry of Defense, losing his job, and becoming Japan's most wanted warranted a smoke.

"I didn't know you smoked," a familiar voice said, "You probably shouldn't be doing that with your injury."

"You're still up, Nagisa," Karma observed coolly, "And I can do what I want. There's no doctors here to stop me."

"As are you," he countered, "When did you start?"

"College," Karma admitted, taking a drag of the cigarette, "After I learned that my parents had died on a trip." Nagisa didn't say anything for a moment.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nagisa said genuinely.

"It was seven years ago, and I didn't know them well enough to feel much."

"Still, it can't have been easy," Nagisa said, breathing in the smell of tobacco. They fell into an uncomfortable silence. They needed to talk, but bringing it up was more than a little awkward. Neither had ever been very good about being forthright with their feelings.

"Karma, we need t-"

"You're feeling guilty," Karma stated, cutting Nagisa off. He gave Nagisa a piercing stare, daring him to lie.

"I am," Nagisa admitted, "I keep thinking of how things could have turned out differently. If I had been more careful, none of us would be in this situation. If I had tried to escape earlier…"

"You'd be dead," Karma said frankly.

"I don't know about that. I've been pretty good at escaping before. When we have time, I should tell you about the submarine in Dubai." Nagisa chuckled at the memory.

"You know, everyone was hesitant about helping. No one was ready to jump to my side to help break you out of the Ministry." Karma took another drag of his cigarette. Nagisa was still, taking in his words. "I'm the one that urged everyone to help. I assured them that everything would be alright. _I'm_ the one that trapped them into this. You shouldn't feel guilty, if anything, it should be me."

"But you didn't know that I was framed," Nagisa protested, "You had no reason to think that it would go so wrong."

"I could say the same to you," Karma shot back, "You didn't know we would come, you had no involvement in our participation. So why do you feel so bad about it?" Karma felt the guilt gnawing at his heart. It was dumb, he knew. His friends had been well aware of the risks when they had agreed to help him. But Karma couldn't help but think that if he hadn't been so pushy about it, maybe it would have turned out differently. He had been prepared to risk his life for Nagisa, but the others hadn't been so confident.

"Because I don't believe anyone should risk their lives for mine," Nagisa answered quietly, "What have I done to deserve that?" Karma stared at Nagisa in disbelief. What had he done to deserve that? What _hadn't_ he done? He had suffered through months of mental torment after he killed Koro-sensei, he kept a strong face, and was just as kind and understanding as he was before the assassination. He was always there for everyone.

"Do you really think that little of your own life?"

Nagisa just gave him a sad smile. Karma took one last drag of his cigarette before dropping and stomping the butt.

"Well, I don't," Karma declared. He gave Nagisa a side-long glance. "You know, if you had asked me to leave with you, I wouldn't have had any hesitation."

"Why?" Nagisa asked, "I've done nothing for you." Karma gritted his teeth together. How the hell was he going to explain to Nagisa how wrong he was? How was he going to tell him that he was the first person who treat him like the kid he was instead of fearing the delinquent he projected? That Nagisa had showed him the value of others? That he was the reason that Karma was finally able to open up to others? That he was the first and only person that Karma could love?

"You don't even know what you mean to me," Karma finally said, facing Nagisa. The smaller man had a baffled look on his face. Karma stepped forward and Nagisa instinctively took a step back. Karma pinned Nagisa against the wall. Blue eyes met brown. His free hand cupped Nagisa's face. His friend was hesitant, unreactive. Karma closed the distance between them, their lips meeting for the second time.

This wasn't like their last kiss, their first kiss. That one had been hurried, long-due after so many years of missed opportunities. It was meant to settle the remaining regret of his youth. _This_ one was different. Karma intended to show Nagisa just how much he meant to him. How much he shaped his youth and just how much he couldn't let go.

Nagisa was still, unsure of how to react to the kiss. Karma's tongue darted out to claim Nagisa's lips as his own. He sucked and pulled at Nagisa's lips. _I've never been able to connect to anyone like I have to you._ Reluctantly, Nagisa's lips parted. Karma took his time to explore his mouth, like he had in so many dreams. _I've been into you for years now._ His tongue swiped against Nagisa's teeth. The man shivered, relaxing bit by bit. _I've only dreamed of being able to kiss you like this._

Nagisa let out a muffled groan, which Karma supposed might've been his name. Nagisa's arms encircled Karma, one hand resting on his upper back, the other gripping his shirt. He swiped against the roof of Nagisa's mouth, loving the way the blue-haired boy curled into him with each movement. _I've waited so long._

The hesitation in Nagisa was gone. His back arched and head tilted to get a better angle. He intertwined their tongues together, refusing to be taken so easily by his friend. Karma let out an involuntary moan as Nagisa's fingers teased the sensitive skin around the collar of his t-shirt. Karma's skin light up with every subtle touch and tease. He wanted more. He _needed_ to show Nagisa how much he meant to him.

 _Nagisa…_ Karma conveyed with another swipe of his tongue against his mouth. His hand moved from the wall behind them to the small of Nagisa's back. His fingers dipped below the waistband of his pants, circling the sensitive skin. _I love you._

They finally pulled away, their need for air finally overcoming their need for each other. They remained inches away, their hot breaths mingling in the cold evening air.

"Karma," Nagisa whispered, "I-I had no idea."

"It's my fault. I never told you."

"No, it's not," Nagisa insisted, "But…what do you want out of this now?"

Karma frowned. What _did_ he want out of this? Their situation was far too bizarre for a traditional relationship route. Did he ever really want a traditional relationship though? Sure, what Maehara and Isogai had was nice, but was it really for him? Could he ever do that? Nagisa didn't turn his piercing stare away, but waited patiently for Karma to find his words.

"I'm not sure," Karma eventually said, "But I want to try _something_ between us."

"Are you sure you're not just chasing what you couldn't get in high school?" Karma's vision went red. _How dare he?!_ Before he realized what he had done, Nagisa's shirt was fisted in his hand. To his credit, the assassin didn't react, he just regarded Karma with the same infuriating cool stare.

"That's not…" Nagisa rested his hand over Karma's fist. He gradually uncurled his fingers. "That's not what it is."

"Karma, I want you be fully aware of where I'm coming from when you think about this. I have spent the last eight years working alone. My only interactions with people have been as either acquaintances or business partners. I've not built a meaningful relationship with anyone since I left." Nagisa cupped Karma's hand in his own. "I'm not even sure if I _can_ love anymore." He gave Karma's hand a short kiss.

"Nagisa…"

"Karma, I want you to think about what you want, I mean _really_ think about it. I'm willing to try what you want. But I want you to realize, that when it comes down to it, I might not be able to reciprocate your feelings." Nagisa let his hands drop at his side. "I'll give you as much time as you need."

Nagisa turned, leaving Karma alone in the hallway. He felt cold all over and lonelier than ever. What did he want out of this? Was Nagisa right? Was he just chasing the one that got away? Were his feelings a misguided reminder of his failures in high school or was it actual love?

He wasn't sure anymore.

* * *

Sugaya sighed as he looked over his apartment. He had left for work before the group of outlaws left, so he couldn't see them off. All things considered, they had done a decent job of cleaning up the apartment. Other than a few empty cans and couple of dirty dishes, his apartment was spotless.

He felt oddly guilty and relieved at the same time. Once he heard the news that his friends had been identified and were now on the run, he had kept one ear open on the news, trying to gather any information at all that would help them. He heard the lies that the news was sprouting, and it took all of Sugaya's will not to shout obscenities. _They're innocent_ he wanted to yell and shout to the world. But he couldn't, because he had no proof.

The newspapers and blogs had begun to call them an assassination group, formed on Japan's own soil. They were suggesting that the group may have been involved in other murders and assassinations over the past five years. That they wanted to totally destroy the order that the Japanese government had created. The thought horrified the public.

"Investigators have found more documents confirming plans to assassinate three of the deceased ministers at the Pink Octopus Maid Café." Sugaya turned away in disgust. His heart ached for his friends. He hadn't been particularly close to the three, but he had remained in tentative contact with them. He had watched them build their café from the ground up. He couldn't even imagine what they were feeling right now.

Sugaya picked up a lone can from his coffee table. It was kind of unfair that although he had volunteered to help them (perhaps more enthusiastically than some of the others in that group), he got out totally scot-free. He didn't want to face what they were going through, but it was sort of unfair that he didn't have to.

He dumped the half-empty can down the sink, tossing it into the recyclables. Maybe there was something he could do. He was, after all, the only one who knew the truth about the "assassination ring" that could still move freely. He was the only one who still had access to his cell phone, and could easily contact _somebody._

His eyes fell on a small scrap of paper on his counter. It was an address, presumably where they were headed to next. He flipped it over, a small note was on the other side.

 _Thank you, Sugaya. Only contact us in case of emergency._

He pocketed the slip of paper. He pulled out his cell phone, flipping through his contacts. There had to be somebody, _anybody._

His fingers stopped over a name. It was a risk, but it was worth a shot at least. If he was lucky, they wouldn't rat them out. He hit call. The phone rang a few times, Sugaya's heart dropped with each ring. Then it stopped.

"Hello?" a familiar voice said, "Sugaya?"

"Yeah," he said, swallowing a lump in his throat. God, he really hoped he wasn't accidentally damning his friends by calling them. It was risky to contact a member of the police force, but if there was anyone that could help his friends…

"What're you calling for? We haven't spoken in months. Is it about the news?"

"Listen, I need help, and I don't know who else to turn to," he said, "I think you and your husband are our best bets." He heard shuffling over the ear piece. He could imagine her confused face.

"Alright," the woman said slowly, "What do you need?"

"Look, Nagisa and them were framed. They're totally innocent."

"How do you know this?"

"Just…just trust me. I can't begin to explain all of it. They need help, and you two are the only ones I can think of that _can_ help them. So please…" Sugaya pleaded.

"Alright, alright, calm down. What do you want us to do?"

"I know where they are. Go talk to them, then you can figure out what to do."

"Okay," she said slowly, "Text me their address. Ryou-kun and I will do our best to see them tonight after work." Sugaya let out a relieved breath.

"Thank you so much. I owe you one, Rinka-chan."

* * *

A/N: That make-out scene was the single gayest thing i've ever written and i've written guys straight up having sex


	13. Decisions

**Chapter Thirteen - Decisions**

Shiota Nagisa sat on the couch, reading through the documents stolen from the evidence room at the Ministry. He hoped, _prayed_ it would give him a hint of what Asano wanted out of this. Nagisa just wanted _something_. Was all this really necessary, did his friends _have_ to go through all of this suffering? Was it all on just a whim or part of something bigger?

Nagisa drowned out the sound of the television. Since the report yesterday, it had been on providing background noise. No one was really paying attention, but no one had the energy to turn it off either. They listened to their friends and colleagues express their shock and disappointment. They listened to the Prime Minister call them an anarchist assassination ring. They watched wild speculation and hysteria.

Terasaka and Karma watched policemen raid their apartments.

Kataoka watched her colleagues tearfully report her suspicious behavior.

Okano heard her boss and clients testify that they couldn't believe that "such a nice girl" was an assassin.

Worst of all was watching Karasuma step up to the podium in front of the Ministry of Defense, with his heart and shoulders heavy.

"I assure you, the Ministry of Defense is using all its resources to bring these criminals to justice," he had said. Nagisa hoped Karasuma didn't lose his job over this. Too many people were already hurt.

Nagisa read the documents over and over again, hoping for a hint of _something._ He would take _anything._ But he knew it was a fruitless effort. There was nothing. Asano was too good.

Was this really just a personal vendetta? Would he really go so far just to destroy their lives?

Asano _might_ get some sort of promotion after the MEXT Minister's death, but there was no way he would actually be considered for the head position given how young he was. He still had a few years to go.

But where the hell did this vendetta come from? Nagisa had never interacted with Asano that often. Even Karma, who was his rival in everything, hadn't done anything extreme to warrant this kind of retaliation. Their rivalry had been a friendly one after all. Besides, Asano was intelligent enough. If he wanted to ruin Karma, he could've done it on his own without dragging Nagisa and the rest of his friends into it.

So _why?_

"Still trying to figure it out?" Isogai asked, sitting next to him. Nagisa spared him a glance. He didn't look much better than yesterday. His eyes were still puffed from crying yesterday, and he was paler than usual.

"Yeah," Nagisa said, "It frustrates me that I can't read him. I didn't know him that well, so what caused him to go over the deep end?"

"I didn't know him very well either," Isogai admitted, "Maybe it's familial?"

"Like he's genetically dispositioned to want to destroy other people's lives?" Isogai chuckled.

"No, that's not what I mean. Well, not quite anyway. I mean the board chairman wasn't exactly all the way there either. But perhaps he was so pressured by his father growing up, that something just snapped. Between his and Karma's little rivalry, Asano only came on top half of the time."

"And maybe that wasn't satisfactory to his father…" Nagisa finished, turning the idea over in his head. Parts of it made sense. Asano directly caused his father's death. But then why the revenge scheme? It didn't seem remotely targeted towards just Karma at all. "I just want to know why."

"I want to know why as well," Isogai said quietly, his voice growing weaker.

"How are you doing, by the way?" Nagisa asked, concerned. Isogai had been in bad shape yesterday. He'd fall into sobbing fits throughout the evening, and Maehara refused to leave his side. Nagisa wasn't exactly good at comforting people, but he'd do his best.

 _I'm going to bring Asano to justice._

"A little better, not by much though," Isogai said, his eyes becoming teary at the mention. He was still coming to terms with everything. Nagisa placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He would do whatever it took to support his friends after this.

Nagisa jumped when he heard a knock on the door.

"Ah! Itona and Okajima must be back already," Isogai said, eager to change the subject. They had gone on a second food run, mostly to get snacks (and some beers, at Terasaka's insistence). They also needed to give 47 a walk.

"No, we got back ten minutes ago," Okajima said. Nagisa stood up, his mind going into overdrive. He quickly counted the faces in the room. _Ten plus me…then who's at the door?_ He jumped over the couch, his hand landing on the knife he'd left on the side table. The group tensed. _It can't be police, they would have announced themselves by now._ The knocking started again, equally as loud. _Was it Godai? Did he want them out already?_ He peeked through the peephole and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"No way," he gasped, opening the door. At the stairwell was a couple, a tall girl with her strawberry blonde hair back in a braid, and a man with his hair cut short.

"Rinka-chan! Ryou-kun! What are you guys doing here?" Kayano exclaimed, standing up.

"What the hell did you guys get into?" Hayami asked, her voice hard. She crossed her arms and stepped into the office. Chiba closed the door behind her. _Somehow she's grown even more severe since we graduated…_ "Who the hell had the bright idea to break him out of the _Ministry of Defense_?" Karma raised his hand.

"Yo."

"More importantly, why didn't you ask us?" Chiba asked, similarly crossing his arms. Nagisa felt a shiver go down his back when he felt the intimidating aura they generated. _They're scary!_

"Ah, well, that's…" Maehara weakly started, drawing back.

"Since you're expecting, we didn't want to put you in any danger," Isogai finished for him.

"I'm pregnant, not incompetent!" Hayami shouted.

"Well, all things considered, maybe it was for the best that you didn't help out," Terasaka said. "Look at us, we're stuck here indefinitely."

"You forget that we work for the police force," Chiba countered, "Even if we weren't in the Ministry, we could've cleared a path for you." He let that settle in the room. Hayami let out a heavy sigh, breaking the tension.

"Well, what's done is done and you guys are here now," she said. She gave them a smile. "It's good to see you, Nagisa."

"It's nice to see you guys too," he greeted, "You're pregnant?" She didn't look it, she was probably only a few months along.

"Yes, I'm 12 weeks in," she said, touching her stomach gently. "We're very excited."

"Congratulations," he said earnestly. Not for the first time, he admired how much had changed since he left. Hopefully, when they were all out of this mess, he could ask how his other classmates were doing. "Do you know if it's a boy or girl?"

"Not yet," Chiba said, "We'll know in a few weeks."

"So how did you even find us?" Okajima asked, "Is our hiding spot really that obvious?"

"Sugaya contacted us. He said that you guys were framed?"

"Yeah, well, kinda."

"Kinda?" Chiba asked, arcing an eyebrow.

"Well, Nagisa was framed," Nakamura said, "And we were caught breaking an innocent man out of his holding cell." Chiba rubbed his temples.

"Why don't you guys start at the beginning?" Hayami requested.

It was Nagisa who started speaking. He expounded on their story, starting from the beginning. From his assassination job, to his capture, and his eventual escape. Karma jumped in to add details where necessary, including their planning process and the infiltration. By the end, Hayami and Chiba (although Nagisa supposed they were now just Chiba and Chiba), had matching expressions of total disbelief.

"So…Asano, huh?" Hayami said thoughtfully, "I wonder just how far his hands reach… If he was able to manipulate the police so easily, he's got to have some sort of inside man." She looked shaken by this revelation.

"What are you guys going to do now?" Chiba asked, giving them all serious stares, "We can help you guys get out of Japan, if you would like us to."

"Isn't there anyway we could expose Asano?" Isogai asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Something like this isn't going to be easy to prove," Hayami said frankly. She held up her hand and snapped. "As quickly as that, his network could disperse before a single person is brought to justice. For those who don't leave, they can just as easily say they were blackmailed into it. Besides, a man like him is going to have multiple operating fronts. If we try and take him down for something, he'll just say someone else was responsible."

Isogai turned his head away, the reality hitting him again. Maehara took his hand in his own.

"We can find a way for you guys to get out safely," Chiba promised, "I'm sure we have contacts that can help."

"But…I don't want to leave," Okano said quietly, "I want to stay here." Her words rang heavy in the air, echoing the sentiments and thoughts of the others.

Nagisa's heart lurched. He hated how much this affected his friends, he hated that they had given up everything for him. _Why_ did this have to happen? Why couldn't Asano have been happy with just destroying Nagisa? He could've taken it. He could always pick himself back up and escape on his own.

"You should take their offer," he said, "You should get out of here."

"What?!" Okano exclaimed, "Isn't there anything we can do?!"

"We're at the top of Japan's most wanted right now, Okano," Karma said, "Do you really think we could just march into a police station and tell them our story? Regardless of whether Nagisa was innocent or not, we broke a suspected criminal out of jail. We broke the law and got caught doing it. Our best shot is to flee."

"Where are we going to go?" Kataoka asked.

"We can figure that out later," Hayami reasoned, "We have to get you guys out of the country first, then you can decide where your final destination is going to be then."

"We'll probably go to China first," Nagisa said, "It's quick and easy to go anywhere from there. I can meet up with you there."

"Meet up with us?" Terasaka asked, turning on Nagisa, "What the hell do you mean meet up with us!?"

"I came here for a reason. I'm not leaving before I assassinate Asano." Dumbfounded silence filled the room.

"Are you an idiot?!" Okano screeched, "He's probably predicting that!"

"After all we went through?" Itona asked.

"You're just going to get captured again!" Okajima exclaimed, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm not doing that again!"

"If I get caught again, let me go to the executioner's block. But I came here to do a job, and I'm not leaving until it's done."

"You're being absolutely _ridiculous_ ," Kayano snarled, "What about us then!? We sacrificed _everything_ to get you to safety and you're just going to throw that away?! What the hell do you think we did this for!?" Nagisa winced at her words.

"That's _precisely_ why I have to do this," he snapped, his anger getting the better of him, "I can't allow _him_ to keep living after what he did you guys." They were struck silent. "I've never killed out of revenge before, but I'm damn sure I'll make Asano the first."

His words rung out, no one quite sure what to say to that declaration.

"Nagisa," Isogai said, stepping forward, "We're just as angry as you are, but it'd be safer if we figured something else out."

"Do you really think he deserves to live after everything he's done? He's killed his father, bribed countless officials, and has an underground network that we can't even hope to comprehend! He's destroyed everything you, Maehara, and Kayano built together! How can you just sit back and let him get away with it?!" Isogai was struck, and it looked like he was about to cry again. It was a low blow, and Nagisa knew it. He had never been so angry before.

If there was one thing true about Shiota Nagisa, it was that he liked to be in control. He _liked_ the fact that he could meticulously plot out an assassination for months, choosing the moment he believed best to take out his target's life. He could plot out hundreds of what-if scenarios in his head, and react to them in real time. But something like this? He _hated_ it. He hated that his life and his friend's lives were in the palm of a madman. He knew that even if they ran, Asano would probably follow them. Who knew when that would come back to bite them in the ass? The only way they could cut their puppet strings would be to get rid of him.

Nagisa scowled. "I will do everything in my power to get you out of Japan," he declared, "I swear it. But Asano Gakushuu is going to die. I'm going to make sure of it."

* * *

Maehara Hiroto had more than a few mixed feelings about everything. His husband had been a total wreck since they had seen their café being raided. It killed him inside to know that they could never go back. He would never see their regulars again. He'd never wear his too-tight butler uniform again. He'd never get the chance to see the inside of the café they had built from the ground-up with their blood, sweat, and tears.

He had never been the emotional one between the two. When it came to things like this, Isogai was always more forward with his emotions. Maehara would stand strong whenever Isogai was weak.

But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

He held back his own tears at the news, but whenever he thought about it too long, deep sadness pulled at his heart. It had been his idea to open the café, and he had put so much into it that it was like watching his child get ripped away from him. It hurt. A lot.

 _Maehara fidgeted nervously in his seat. They were only a few months away from graduation, and questions of what kind of career he wanted loomed above him. He and Isogai had gotten into a pretty decent university, so it wasn't like there was an absence of jobs._

 _But what did he_ _ **want**_ _to do?_

 _He didn't want to become a salaryman who cared about his job more than his friends and family. He didn't want the traditional 9-to-5 life. It just wasn't his style. His mother had hoped that having a steady relationship and college would mellow him out and make him more mature (she was wrong)._

 _Maehara glanced towards his boyfriend, who was currently in the midst of some sort of reading for his class. He'd been tossing around an idea for a while now, but it was kind of ridiculous and more than a little out there. He'd done a ton of research into it, but would Isogai be for it?_

 _"Hey Yuuma?" Isogai looked up from his books._

 _"Yeah, Hiroto?"_

 _"Have you figured out what you're going to do after graduation?" Isogai blinked._

 _"You know as well as I do that I haven't," he responded, "Why? What's up?" Maehara fidgeted again. Isogai gave him an odd look._

 _"W-well, do you – I mean – do you know what you'd want to do?"_

 _"Not really. I'd like a stable income, if nothing else. Maybe a position in management of some sort." Steady income…of course his boyfriend would want something he wouldn't be able to guarantee with something like this. "Why?"_

 _"I've kind of had this idea floating around in my head…" Maehara starting, pushing his folder over to Isogai. "W-what do you think about starting a business?"_

 _"Huh?" Isogai asked, opening the folder. His brows furrowed as he read over the first page. "Maid cafes?"_

 _"Yeah! Think about it! Between us, we've got plenty of customer service experience. You're a pro at serving food, and with your business degree, you'll be perfect at management! If we pick a good location, we'll turn a profit in a few years, I'm sure of it! I mean, I did some research and look at the profit margins of some of these places!"_

 _Isogai flipped through the pages, taking in all the information._

 _"This is a lot of research. This is more work than I've seen you do all of college. How long have you been sitting on this?" Maehara fidgeted again. He wanted Isogai to like this idea. He needed him to. His boyfriend's analytical eyes scanned the research._

 _"It's been a few months," Maehara answered, "I've thought about it a lot."_

 _"I can see that," Isogai muttered, "Hiroto, where would we get the capital for this? Starting a business is not cheap."_

 _"Well…we do kind of have the money…" Maehara started, trailing off. Isogai's head shot up._

 _"Are you suggesting we pull from_ _ **those**_ _funds?" he asked._

 _"Y-yeah," Maehara affirmed, "Think about it, Yuuma. We're never going to find a better opportunity to use that money."_

 _"We vowed to never touch that money, Hiroto," Isogai reminded quietly._

 _"Don't you think this is the kind of thing he'd like? Bringing ourselves into the world, putting ourselves on our feet, and coming up with a new business idea?" Maehara said, "If you don't want to touch the money, I completely understand. But think about it, wouldn't this be the kind of thing he'd like?" Isogai gave a sad smile._

 _"Yeah, Koro-sensei was never subtle about his preferences." He flipped to another page. "Pink Octopus?"_

 _"Y-yeah," he said, "I thought it'd be a good name." Isogai smiled._

 _"How about this, I finish my readings for tonight, and I'll look over this when I get the chance?" Maehara's heart soared. It meant he was considering it. Maehara watched Isogai return to his book as he thought to himself,_ if Yuuma wants to do this, maybe I'll reconsider my no-marriage stance. _He glanced back at his oblivious boyfriend._ After all, if he does this for me, then I don't ever want to let him get away.

 _One week later, Isogai said he'd do it. Two weeks later, they starting the planning process._

 _One month later, Maehara proposed._

He sat with his husband against the wall, his arm wrapped around his shoulder. He absentmindedly rubbed Isogai's arm. The man turned his head towards him. He gave Maehara an expectant look. Maehara let out a heavy sigh.

"What do you think of all this?" he asked quietly, "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," Isogai said, his voice cracking. Maehara hated hearing his husband sound so broken. It filled him with fury and sadness all at the same time. "From what it sounds like, we're going to have to leave. Leave and never look back." He curled up. "I don't want to leave, Hiroto. I want to stay here."

"I know you do."

"I want to see my sister's baby born. I want to see my brother graduate from college. I want to see us finally get that honeymoon we've always wanted." Maehara's heart lurched. "I want…I want to see the Pink Octopus succeed. I don't want to leave any of that behind." Maehara turned his head away, lest Isogai see the wetness in his eyes. _He needed to be strong. If I break now, who knows how he'll react?_

"We…We can't stay here," Maehara said, choking down a lump in his throat.

"I know," Isogai said quietly, he wrapped his arms around his knees, "I just don't want to accept it." They fell into silence, Maehara leaning into the warmth that his husband was radiating. After a beat, Maehara spoke.

"What did you think of Nagisa declaration?"

"That he's going to kill Asano?"

"Yeah." Isogai fiddled with the hem of his pants.

"I'm a bit angry and a bit sad," he said, "I'm angry because we risked everything to save him, and he just wants to go ahead and do it again. We may be wanted criminals, but at least we're free for now."

"So why are you sad?"

"I'm not sure," Isogai admitted honestly, "It's just…I can't help but feel for him. He's been alone for years. Now that we're here, all he wants to do is get vengeance for us. I don't think he's had anyone care for him since he left Japan." He turned towards Maehara. "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have everyone. If I didn't have you." Maehara smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. He removed his arm from his shoulder, placing it instead on his hand.

"Yuuma," he said softly. Isogai was silent for a moment. His hand slowly curled into a fist.

"Actually, I'm not angry. I'm _furious_ that we've lost everything. I'm angry that I pushed us into this and I'm angry that we're suffering because of it." Maehara could hear the cold fury and the desperation in his voice. His eyes widened. He hadn't seen Isogai like this in a long time. A shiver made its way down his back.

"W-what do you want to do?" Maehara stuttered, unable to break his gaze away from his husband's eyes.

"I'm starting to think we should help Nagisa."

"Help him?!" Maehara hissed. A couple of curious gazes made their way to them. They were gone a moment later.

"Nothing we say is going to convince him to leave this alone. You know that, Hiroto." Maehara wanted to protest, tell him that he was _wrong_ , but he couldn't. "If he's going to risk his neck _again_ , we might as well be there to support him. With our help, we can pull this off."

"Yuuma, have you gone _insane?!_ We haven't got the kind of skills for that!"

"Don't we?" Isogai regarded him seriously. "It wouldn't be the first assassination we've planned."

"But that…that was different!" Maehara harshly whispered back, "We had the fate of the world in our hands at that time. This…this is _revenge killing._ " Isogai took a deep breath, taking in Maehara's words.

"What I'm worried about, most of all, is that Asano won't stop here, that he won't be satisfied with just ruining us," Isogai confessed, "How do we know he won't go farther? What if it's our heads next? What if it's our families?" Maehara went cold at the thought. "It's not about revenge, it's about defense. We were lucky enough to get out of the Ministry, but who's to say that those guards weren't meant to kill us?"

Maehara hadn't thought about that.

"I…" Maehara started, "…see your point." Comfortable silence settled between them as he turned over Isogai's words in his heads. There was no doubt in his mind that Nagisa was going to go out and attempt another assassination on Asano. Would it really be better for them to be there? _Yes_ , his mind supplied, _He can't do everything on his own._ A more bitter part of his mind added, _Besides, if we're going to leave the country because we're suspected assassins, we may as well live up to the crime._

He lifted his hand off of Isogai's. "You're right," he said, "Maybe, we _should_ help him out."

* * *

"Isogai and Maehara are going to help Nagisa," Kataoka said as she chopped the vegetables in the kitchen next to Okano and Kayano. The other two girls looked at her. Okano's brows were furrowed, although Kayano just looked resigned. Kataoka cocked an eyebrow at her. "You don't seem surprised, Kaede."

"I thought something like this might happen," she admitted quietly, "Yuuma keeps the two of them level-headed most of the time. Whenever Hiroto gets angry, Yuuma holds him back. But…" She trailed off, trying to figure out the best way to phrase this.

"But…?" Okano pressed.

"But…now that Yuuma's angry too, he's less inclined to think rationally," Kayano said. That was putting it nicely. "I think the realization that he can't do anything, that he can't go back, has begun to set in. Now he's angry and frustrated and just wants to _do_ something."

"How can you tell he's furious? He still seems just as pleasant as before," Kataoka said. She handed the vegetables over to Kayano, who poured them into the pan with a loud sizzle.

"It takes a lot for him to get really angry. I've only seen it once before, back when we first started the business and our landlord was trying to screw us over." She shivered at the memory. "He gets all cold, and he has that same pleasant tone, but you can see it in his eyes. He's out for _blood._ "

" _Really?_ " Kataoka said, "I can't even imagine it."

 _"You owe me_ _60,000 in back rent!" the woman exclaimed, throwing a legal document onto their front table._

 _"But, we've paid rent on time, every time," Isogai said, his brows furrowed in confusion. Kayano was also confused, she had personally delivered the check several times, so why was the woman pitching a fit?_

 _"I have not received a check from your…business…in three months!" Kayano could hear the sarcasm and disgust in her voice as she spat out the word business. It was no secret to them that their landlady didn't approve of their business choice. She had made that very clear before. (Kayano also suspected that she didn't approve of Maehara and Isogai either)._

 _"We've paid our due amount_ _ **every**_ _single month!" Maehara protested._

 _"Then why I haven't I been getting checks?" she countered, crossing her arms. Kayano felt her eyebrow twitch. This woman was really awful. Next to her, Isogai stood up._

 _"Our apologies, ma'am, there must've been issues with your bank, because we've given you the check every month for the past six months," he said calmly, "I can also assure you that we've had our rent debited from our account every month as well. If it's an issue in timing, Hiroto and I are more than willing to work with you." She scowled._

 _"It's not timing, it's the fact that you aren't paying rent!" she exclaimed, "If you are so damn sure, why don't we let a court decide!?" She turned around, and added under her breath. "I should've known better than to sign the lease with damn immoral degenerates." Kayano was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to hear that. Judging by the looks on Maehara and Isogai's faces, they had heard her comment too. Isogai's smile had become strained._

 _"Very well," he said, his voice cold, "Why don't we let a court decide?" The woman stopped, her hand halfway to the doorknob._

 _"Excuse me?"_

 _"I'm saying, why don't we let a court decide?" Isogai said louder, "Why don't we show him the bank records that prove that our account has been debited, every fifth day of the month for the past three months?" He placed her document on the table. "While we're at it, why don't we inform the court that you knowingly rented us a place that was infested with rats? Or that the plumbing was shoddily repaired? That you insisted that the place was fit for a place of business when it had been nothing of the sort?" He took a step towards her. She stepped back, her face pale. "I'm sure they would love to hear how you've refused to pay for_ _ **any**_ _of the repairs we've been forced to pay for out-of-pocket." She took another step back._

 _"Yuuma," Maehara said. Isogai ignored him._

 _"While we're there, we could also bring your apartment manager in and show him the dog you've been keeping in your home without permission. Or perhaps the drugs? I'm sure the courts would love that." She was sheet-white, and up against the door._

 _"You-!" She weakly got out._

 _"Why stop there? Why not talk about the "cleaner" who comes into your apartment whenever your husband is gone?"_

 _"Yuuma!" Maehara shouted. Isogai broke out from under whatever trance he was in. Kayano stared at him with wide eyes. What just happened…?_

 _Their landlord threw open the door, tears falling down her face._

 _"Oh no," Isogai whispered, "I didn't…oh, I…"_

 _She dropped her accusations the next day._

Kayano shivered. "You don't ever want to imagine it. I've never had it directed at me, but ask Maehara about it. I think he's still traumatized."

"Interesting," Kataoka muttered under her breath, "So what do you think of it? Their decision to help Nagisa?"

"Honestly, I don't blame them," she said, "I'm itching to do something too." She stirred the contents of pan. The sizzle was comforting to her. She loved cooking.

"But Kaede, we're barely got out alive, why should we put ourselves into danger again?" Okano asked, "I'm just as angry as you are, but we can't be stupid about this. We should just take what we have and leave."

"Do you really want to do that, Hinata?" Kayano snapped, "I don't know why the hell this had to happen to us, what Asano is getting out of this, but I don't want to stand by and let him control us. If we leave, we're doing just what he wants us to do."

"This isn't some game, Kaede, these are our lives!"

"What lives? The lives that the grand mastermind oh so casually decided were worthless?!" Okano stepped back, her eyes watering. Kayano's mouth snapped shut. She had gone too far, she realized. Quietly she turned away. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I didn't mean that." Okano placed her hand on Kayano's shoulder.

"It's alright, I understand," she said quietly. She gave the shoulder a little squeeze. Kayano trembled. Kataoka pulled her into a side hug. Kayano wiped away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. She let out strained sigh.

"Kaede, I don't know if we'll do it, but if you decide to join Maehara and Isogai, we won't judge. We're just not sure if we want to do it or not," Kataoka assured. Kayano let out a bitter chuckle. What had she done to deserve such great friends?

"I just want to bring him to justice," she declared. She turned off the stove and moved the pan away from the latent heat source.

"Kaede, I'm sure that he'll eventually pay for his crimes," Kataoka reasoned, "He can't keep this kind of conspiracy alive for long."

"Can't he?" Kayano countered, "He's already done this much damage, who's to say he couldn't do more? As long as he's behind network, or whatever the hell he has, he's never going to face justice." She gave them serious looks. "Besides, _if_ he faces justice, who's to say it comes soon enough. How many other lives is he going to ruin before that happens?"

Judging by the looks on the girls faces, her words had struck a chord. She turned back around to start plating the meal for their friends. She didn't see the way they stood straighter, the silent agreement in their eyes, and their hardening resolve.

They wouldn't be downed so easily.

* * *

Okajima, Itona, Terasaka, and Nakamura sat together on the floor, playing some form of a card game. Okajima and Terasaka insisted that it was a game of War, but if Nakamura and Itona had their way, it was some strange bastardization of War, Go Fish, and Poker.

"A royal flush!" Nakamura declared loudly, throwing her cards in front of her.

"Incredible," Itona whispered, staring at the cards in awe.

"We're not playing poker!" Terasaka shouted. Nakamura puffed her chest in pride.

"You're just mad because I'm great at card games!"

"Because you cheat!" Okajima countered.

"That's it, I give up!" Terasaka exclaimed, throwing his cards onto the misshapen pile. Okajima followed suit.

"Boys, don't be jealous of my incredible card skills." They rolled their eyes, Terasaka muttering something about bullshit and crossing his arms. Itona threw his cards down on the pile and started to shuffle them back together. Nakamura leaned back, the high of winning draining from her body. She stared upward at the fluorescent lighting, a sigh escaping her lips. This was the end of their third day here, and it was already starting to feel like a prison. To think, they had snuck someone out of a jail cell, only to be caught in a metaphorical prison. It was one of life's cruel ironies looking them right in the face.

"Did you hear," she started, her lips moving on their own, "That Isogai and Maehara are going to help Nagisa with the assassination?" She sat back up, glancing at the two aforementioned men, who were taking a nap.

"I heard that Kayano is also helping," Itona added.

"Kayano is?" Nakamura asked. She hadn't heard that. Itona nodded, his wild hair falling into his eyes.

"Yeah, Kataoka-san and Okano-san are also considering it," Itona said.

"How do you even know this?" Okajima asked, tilting his head. Itona shrugged.

"Observation."

"I bet Karma's in too," Terasaka muttered, "Dude's dick will follow Nagisa, no matter how dumb the decision." Nakamura smiled to herself. She knew Terasaka, and he would deny it until the day he died, but he honestly cared for his friend. Sometime between their first encounter at the Ministry and now, they had gone from antagonistic acquaintances to actual friends (maybe even best friends).

"I dunno what to think about it," Okajima said, rubbing his head, "I kind of want to run away and just put this all behind me."

"Where do you want to go?" Nakamura asked.

"I dunno," he admitted, "I'm thinking France? Or America? Somewhere where there's a lot of hot chicks. I dunno what I'd _do_ there, though. All of my marketable skills involve photo manipulation and taking pictures of people without them knowing."

"You could be a private detective," Nakamura suggested.

"Or just a photographer," Itona added.

"Yeah, yeah, my mother has given me the same spiel," Okajima said. He cleared his throat, putting his voice at a false falsetto. "Why don't you do something with your life, Taiga? When are you going to stop oogling girls? You're an adult! You're a disappointment."

"You don't have to get real," Terasaka muttered.

"Well, we're gonna have to reinvent ourselves anyway," Nakamura said with a sigh, "We don't exactly have a choice." She perked up a bit. "I can go back to being blonde at least!"

"I could probably find another tech start-up somewhere," Itona mused. He glanced over at Terasaka. "What do you want to do?"

"Me? Shit if I know," he said, "I didn't even know what I wanted to do here. The Ministry job was just convenient." He leaned on his arm. "I'm probably going to join Karma and Nagisa." Nakamura raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because, someone needs to be there to make sure those idiots see reason," he said, "Besides, what the hell else do I have to lose?" Nakamura grimaced. She could think of a few things. _Your life, primarily._

"What do you even expect to do?" Okajima asked.

"Beats me, I'll figure it out when we get there." Nakamura could feel the stirrings of _something_ in her gut. Was it excitement, nervousness, or determination? She wasn't quite sure. Whatever it was, it was making her hand shake.

"Do you really think you could do it?" Itona asked, "Last time we planned an assassination, it was by pure luck that it succeeded." That was an understatement, they had made it through by the skin of their teeth.

"We're out of practice," Okajima reasoned, "Dude, we're nowhere near capable physically or mentally. Do you ever think about how fucked up that whole thing was anyway? Cause I do all the time."

"Yeah, it crosses my mind every once in a while," Nakamura admitted, "But I mean, Terasaka's got a point, we did it once, who's to say we couldn't do it again?"

"But our last target was a three meter tall octopus monster. This is a real person!" Okajima protested. Rio wanted to retort, but her mind drew a blank.

"Sensei was a real person too," Itona said quietly. The three heads turned towards him. "He may not have looked it, but he was also a person. You can't pretend like we didn't kill someone before." Rio closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Long forgotten guilt was a breadth away from resurfacing. _There wasn't anything you could do,_ she reminded herself, _It was either him or the world._

"Back then was different," Okajima weakly muttered, but he had drawn back. He knew that Itona's words held truth.

"Is Asano really going to stop, though?" Nakamura wondered, her mouth moving on its own again. "Think about it, this was probably a power play move. Whatever reason he did this for, it's probably leading up to something bigger. Do we want him to stay in a position of power?" _This is dumb, Rio. You don't need to do this._

"God, I don't wanna imagine him in a minister's office," Okajima groaned.

"Honestly, I just want to kick the dude's ass," Terasaka said. Nakamura's hand twitched again. _You'd be needlessly risking your life. You have an out, take it._

"He shouldn't be allowed to get away with what he did."

"I wouldn't mind supporting you guys," Itona said.

"Augh fuck, I can't be the only one who backs out. Fine, I'm in too."

 _This is what you've been missing, Rio. The thrill._

* * *

"They're all doing it," Hayami muttered, her expression disbelieving, "They're all idiots. We gave them an out and they denied it."

"What do you want to do?" Chiba asked, rounding on his wife, "Do you think we can convince them otherwise?"

"If I thought we could convince them otherwise, I would've done it already," she said. Chiba wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into the touch, releasing a frustrated sigh. "I'm worried."

"I understand."

"It was bad enough seeing their faces when we walked into the office, but knowing that I could be seeing their mugshots next is frightening. I don't want to see them hurt," she said.

"I don't know how they're going to do this," Chiba admitted. Hayami nodded her agreement.

"Even just leaving their hideout is going to be tough. They've been lucky enough with their food runs, but who knows when someone is going to connect the dots…" Hayami sat down, trying to comprehend the enormity of what their dumb friends had decided to do. The whole _group_ of them were being stupid.

"Do you want to help them?" he asked seriously. Her head shot up. She flexed her fingers, thinking over his suggestion. She settled her other hand on her stomach, thinking of the unborn life within her. It would be risky, there was no doubt about that. Aiding and abetting criminals, she was sure their boss would love to hear that.

But if they had to see their friends arrested and executed… She would never be able to live with herself.

"Yes," she affirmed, determination renewing itself in her eyes. She couldn't let them fail, not again. "Ryou, do you still have Manami's e-mail? We're gonna need a lot more help."


	14. Resolve

**Chapter 14 - Resolve**

Okuda Manami let out a relieved sigh as she unlocked the door to her apartment. Her team had been getting closer and closer to a breakthrough, but their deadline was rapidly approaching, and progress wasn't being made fast enough. She had pulled 12 hour days for the past two weeks, and she was utterly exhausted. She hadn't had more than a few hours to herself in the past week.

She was incredibly happy with the work she was doing. She was creating the next generation of miracle drugs to help the world. She slaved from early morning to late at night, but she knew that her work would one day make a difference.

But she would be lying if she said didn't need a break.

The door slammed behind her, and Okuda set her shoes to the side. She smiled as a familiar fluffball greeted her. "Hi, Snowball, did you miss me?" The cat only purred louder, as if in response. "Let's get you some food." She allowed herself a small smile as the cat plodded loudly to the kitchen. Not even five minutes later, Snowball was happily munching on the cat food her owner had laid out. Less than ten minutes after that, Okuda was sitting at her dining room table munching on a TV dinner.

The peaceful quiet of the apartment was a welcome relief from the chaos of Baltimore traffic and her workplace. It allowed her some time to herself, a precious commodity. _Maybe when this project is over, I can get started on a new book. I haven't had time to read in awhile._ She smiled at the thought. That would be nice.

A soft buzz threw her out of her musing. She sighed, hoping that it wasn't her team leader asking her to come back in. Reluctantly, she pulled her phone out of her purse, reading the alert.

 _1 New E-Mail from Chiba Ryunosuke._

Her brow furrowed. From Chiba? She hadn't heard from him since his wedding. She felt the tendrils of nervousness grip at her stomach. Was this related to that conversation she had earlier?

 _"Hey Manami, some crazy shit is going down in your home country!" Rick exclaimed. Okuda raised an eyebrow at her co-worker._

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Haven't you seen the news?!" Jonathan asked, "It's crazy!"_

 _"I haven't really had the time," Okuda admitted, a little embarrassed. "Can you pass me the sample? So what's going on?"_

 _"Like six members of the Japanese government have been assassinated," Rick explained, handing over the sample. "Not small members either, like the equivalent of cabinet members."_

 _"Ministers?"_

 _"Yeah! They caught the assassin in the act of killing one of them and arrested him and everything."_

 _"But here's the crazy part," Jon jumped in, "So like a week later, ten people break him out of his high security holding cell, and now the whole country is on a manhunt for them!"_

 _"They're saying that it's a secret assassination ring that's trying to take out the Japanese government," Rick finished. Okuda frowned, setting down the sample. Something sounded off, but she wasn't sure what._

 _"Have they been identified?" she asked, out of morbid curiosity._

 _"Yeah, they have names and everything. I can't remember them though. I'd bring up pics, but you know how shitty our service is down here. I'll show you at lunch."_

 _They ended up working through lunch that day, so Okuda never had the chance to see the pictures._

She pulled open the e-mail.

Subject: Catching up

Hey Okuda!

I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know it must be incredible working in America, and we'd love to hear about it over coffee or something. Let us know when you have some free time.

From,

Chiba Ryunosuke and Rinka

P.S. Attached we have some pictures of our new place, the password is our middle school teacher's name. They're best viewed on a computer.

 _Coffee? But we're 14 hours apart…_ She frowned, the flickers of worry worming their way into her heart. She pulled out her laptop, waiting for it to warm up. Her cat emerged from the kitchen, licking its lips in satisfaction. It plopped itself down on her lap, curling up against her warmth. Okuda typed in her password, absentmindedly stroking her pet.

She pulled open the e-mail, clicking on attached file. She tilted her head. It wasn't just a zip file, it was encrypted. What was Chiba sending her that required serious encryption? She entered the password, and watched the files load.

"What the…" she muttered, her brows furrowing as she opened the first document.

 _Shiota Nagisa is innocent._

Okuda felt her throat go dry.

Her day had just gotten a lot more complicated.

* * *

"Hey, Kimura," a familiar voice called. The detective looked up from his _goddamn_ _insurmountable_ pile of paperwork to see a friendly face.

"Hey, Rinka! How's it going? It's not often I get to see you down here." She gave him a friendly smile, adjusting the briefcase around her shoulder.

"I thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing. You must be swamped." Swamped wasn't even the half of it. Ever since _The_ Incident, Kimura had been under mountains of paperwork. If he wasn't stuck at his desk, then he was out on the field doing one investigation or another. It had been stressful to say the least and he told his old friend as much. The edges of her lips quirked up.

"I can't wait until this whole thing is over, to be honest," he said, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Why don't you join Ryu-kun and I for lunch? We can get you out of the office for a bit." Kimura glanced at his stack of paperwork. He really should stay… Although he was going to be there until eight anyway….

"Why not? I have to be back by 2:30 for a meeting." Kimura stood up, locking his computer in the process. He missed Hayami's pleased expression. "Where were you thinking of going?"

"Have you been to The High Wire café around the corner?" she asked. Kimura's brows furrowed. He hadn't heard of that place before.

"No, is it new?" She nodded.

"Opened a few weeks ago," she confirmed, "Ryu-kun and I have been a few times. It's got typical café fare and a discount for cops." Kimura chuckled.

"Well I'm sold. I'm dying for a BLT." He threw on his jacket and grabbed his wallet, phone, and keys. "Let's go."

Hayami led the way, making idle chatter on the politics of the security bureau (apparently Suzume-san was trying to worm her way into the police chief's office, _the bitch_ ). Kimura told her how one low level employee tried to get the coffee machine removed from the office because it was "addictive" and an "environmental hazard". Kimura snorted at the memory. Removing the coffee machine, _in a police department?_ It was a lost cause from the very start.

Hayami pushed open the doors to the café. The walls still smelled faintly of paint, and the shiny wooden floor had only a handful of scuff marks. When she had said this place was new, she had meant it. She led him around the corner, walking past the cashiers. She glanced backwards at his unspoken question. "This place has several rooms for private dining. I got Ryu-kun to reserve a room for us."

In the third room, Chiba gave him a warm smile and gestured for them to close the door. As soon as the door closed, the smile vanished and a shiver went up Kimura's spine.

"Is the room secure?" Hayami asked.

"I checked, there are no surveillance cameras or recording devices. I also disabled wifi in the room as a precaution." Kimura's eyes darted between the couple. He had a bad feeling about this.

"I'm sorry to trick you like this," Hayami said, "But what we're about to tell you is top secret and of the utmost importance." Kimura felt trapped under their gazes and his stomach churned. _Oh no,_ he realized, _They're involved with this whole thing too._ He wished Hayami wasn't blocking the door or he'd bolt.

"Calm down, Kimura," Chiba said, seeing the panic on his face, "I know what you're thinking, and it's only half correct."

"Shiota Nagisa is innocent," Hayami said seriously.

"What?! Are you insane?! He was caught with a literal smoking gun!" Kimura exclaimed, "I saw the documents myself! He had plans to kill _everyone!_ Even Karasuma!"

"We saw him," Chiba said levelly, "We know this is a lot to take in, but you need to trust us, Masayoshi. What we're telling you is the truth."

"You saw him?" Kimura asked, "You know where he is?!" He frantically glanced at the door, wondering if he could run now. They didn't have weapons. If he really wanted to, he could probably escape. Kimura clenched his fist. "You know where they all are, don't you?!"

"Yes," Hayami said softly.

"Why haven't you spoken up?! We could have them caught and this whole thing over with!"

"Do you really believe that?" Chiba asked.

"Believe what?!"

"That our old classmates, our old _friends_ , would do something like this?" Hayami said. Kimura faltered, feelings of guilt eating at his heart. He wasn't foolish enough to discount the possibility that it was real, that his friends had decided to form a terrorist assassination ring. Years of experience in the force had taught him to expect the unexpected. But despite everything, there was a little voice in the back of his head (that sounded suspiciously like their middle-school teacher) that made him doubt everything.

After all, their teacher had taught them better than that.

But these thoughts were meaningless. He was helping investigate into the case. He had to put his personal feeling aside.

"Rinka, Ryu, you _know_ I can't say anything regarding the case," he said, " _Especially_ regarding my personal feelings." Chiba pulled a manila folder out of his briefcase. The sound of it sliding across the slick table echoed through the room. Without even realizing it, Kimura was reaching out to it, his fingers dusting over the papers. Despite his resolve, he found himself asking, "What's in this?"

"The truth, Masayoshi."

Kimura had a sinking feeling he wouldn't be getting his sandwich anytime soon.

* * *

"Sugino!" Head coach Matsura Sen bellowed. His deep voice cut through the field, reaching the dark-haired pitcher. He pulled off his glove, giving his substitute a pat on the back. He knew exactly what this was about. "You let them get two homeruns! What the hell is going on out there?!"

"I'm sorry, Coach, I don't know why I'm feeling off," the player lied, wiping the sweat off of his brow.

"Well, you better figure it the hell out! You're benched for the rest of the game!" He pointed towards the dugout, his tone giving no room for disagreement. Sugino curtly nodded, pulling his hat off. He stumbled walking into the dugout, feeling a bit of relief as he sat down next his teammates.

"Yo! Tomo! What happened out there?" His teammate, Shinozuka, asked, slapping him on the back. "You're never this bad."

"Just an off day," he said with a shrug. He was lucky this was only a practice match. If he had done that in a real game, he wouldn't be able to face the crowd. He leaned back, letting the cool wind brush his hair off of his sweaty forehead. Sugino let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't like he could let his teammates know the real reason for his poor performance. That one of his best friends from middle school was arrested and accused of high treason. That his childhood group of friends broke him out of the Ministry of Defense and were now on the run.

That they were apparently some sort of terrorist assassination group?

He had known that Nagisa had left to become an assassin, everyone had said as much, but the others had come as a shock. The pitcher hadn't expected to turn on the television after a game and see the faces of some of the people he trusted the most fleeing from police. What on earth had happened? Why were they driven to this kind of life? Was it some sort of ridiculous spur of the moment decision? He wasn't sure he would ever get those kind of answers.

It killed him a little to know that.

But there wasn't anything he could do about it now. His friends had committed heinous crimes; it was just something he was going to have to live with. He cheered as his replacement struck out the batter, but his heart wasn't in it. It hurt to think about, but he would have to move on.

He pushed these thoughts aside, focusing instead on the game. He cheered and high-fived as their team successfully took the lead, and kept it through the seven remaining innings. Despite his resolve, these distracting thoughts bothered him at the worst times. It wasn't his worst game, but it was nowhere near his best.

Sugino returned to his apartment that evening, feeling the disappointment seeping into his limbs. He took a deep breath and turned on the television.

"…no word on the whereabouts of Shiota Nagisa."

There it was again.

The constant reminder that his friends had strayed on their paths. That they were Japan's most wanted. He opened his laptop, hoping to drown out the sound of the news with music. He blinked when he saw a notification on the side of the screen.

 **1 New Message from Kanzaki Yukiko**

"Kanzaki?" he asked aloud, even though no one would hear him, "We haven't talked in _years._ " He clicked on the e-mail, more than a little curious about it. He had a sinking feeling he knew what it would be about. He briefly wondered if she knew about their former classmates' activities.

SUBJECT: Catching up!

Hey Sugino,

It's been years since we talked. I'm so sorry for not keeping in touch, between medical school and volunteering, I just sort of lost track of time and everything. I know this is kind of sudden, but I'd love to catch up and get coffee or something! I hope you don't mind, but I already invited a couple of our old friends! We'd be meeting up at the Chiba place (address attached). If you want to invite anyone else, please do! The more the merrier!

Hope everything is going well for you!

Kanzaki Yukiko

P.S. You should check out these incredible photos Okuda sent me! The password is our middle school teacher's name!

His heart was in his throat as he read the last line over again. Their middle school teacher's name? But why…?

He typed in the letters slowly, unsure even now. The folder unlocked, revealing a number of documents. He clicked on the first one, his heart filling with an emotion he couldn't identify.

 _Shiota Nagisa is innocent._

 _We need your help._

He sat back in a daze, simultaneously relieved and worried.

What was he going to do now?

* * *

Kurahashi Hinano had no doubt she was going to help.

The second she had received the e-mail from Fuwa, she knew there was no way she could turn away. A few days ago when Isogai had called her to help Nagisa, she had regretfully had to decline. She had been pulling overtime to help out with a birth at the zoo.

 _"I believe you, Isogai-kun," Kurahashi said, "But I can't, I have to be at the zoo every day for the next two weeks to make sure the giraffes make it alright. I wish I could, but right now I can't help."_

 _"That's alright, Hinano-san, I'm sure we'll be fine without you. Good luck!"_

Kurahashi didn't know what had gone so wrong, why their names were plastered all over the news. Even knowing that she would be in the same position if she had helped: she still felt guilty. And relieved. And guilty for feeling relieved.

This time, Kurahashi knew that she would help out her friends with every fiber of her being. Even her roommate had pulled together her scattered resolve and vowed to help.

"I always knew those idiots would get in over their head one day," she had said.

Hazama Kirara certainly had a way with words.

Kurahashi, standing strong, reached out to the Yoshida family, Yada (although she said that Kimura had already contacted her), and Koutarou. At her prodding, Hazama had even contacted Muramatsu.

 _"C'mon, Kira! I want to call Muramatsu, but I didn't know him that well! You do it!" Kurahashi held out her bright pink cell phone, a giraffe charm bouncing against it with a clack. Hazama gave the phone a momentary look of disgust (as she always did, but Kurahashi knew she secretly liked it)._

 _"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Kira?" she intoned, the barest hint of fondness in her voice._

 _"I'll stop when you stop calling me Sunshine."_

 _"I only call it like I see it," Hazama drawled. Her fingers touched what she had dubbed the "pink monstrosity." She frowned. "Do I really have to call him? He's probably already been contacted by someone else."_

 _"But we won't know that for sure. From the e-mail Fuwa sent, we're gonna need all hands on deck. I don't want to leave anyone behind." Hazama's eyes bore through her. It was a look Kurahashi was very familiar with; she saw it whenever her roommate was contemplating something serious. With a loud sigh, Hazama held out her hand. Kurahashi grinned, her excitement barely held back. Hazama took the phone and hit call. Kurahashi could hear the faint ringing and the sound of someone answering._

 _"Hello, Muramatsu speaking," the voice said, cracking under the bad signal._

" _Oi, Takuya. Nagisa's innocent. If you want to get off your ass and do something, show up at the Chibas' place on Saturday at seven."_ _Hazama hung up the phone before Muramatsu could respond. She glanced at Kurahashi, the ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. "I think that went well."_

She talked a big game, but, as she stood in her kitchen, waiting for her dinner to cook, she never felt smaller.

While they never got a real response from Takuya, in her conversations with the Yoshida family and Yada, one point was made very clear.

 _What the hell are we supposed to do?_

Kurahashi didn't have an answer for them. Yada could be useful, since her work as a sales representative meant she was very good at schmoozing people. But she didn't know how much danger she wanted to put herself into. Yoshida Taisei could use his years running an auto repair shop _somehow_ , but his wife, Hara Sumire was pregnant and already had one kid to look over. Neither were quite sure they wanted put their family at risk like that.

 _"Besides, do you even know how expensive babysitters are nowadays?!"_

What could she even do for them? Her friends were strong, clever, and confident. Kurahashi was a zookeeper. She was good at what she did, but what use could cleaning up dung and corralling hungry birds be?

Kurahashi let out a soft sigh. Hazama looked up from her book.

"You're worried," she said. It wasn't a question, just a simple statement of fact. Kurahashi looked at her, startled. Hazama always had a funny way of knowing exactly what she was thinking.

"Yes," she admitted after a beat, "I mean, I _want_ to help. But…I don't know what I can do." Hazama closed her book with a snap.

"There's plenty you can do, Sunshine," she said, her voice cool and matter-of-fact, "We've all lost some of our skills, and you know that we'll never reach the same level as we were in junior high, especially on such short notice. But you don't need to climb buildings or have killer aim to help, Sunshine. You'll just need to do what you do best, shine."

"I'm not sure I understand," Kurahashi admitted. She frowned. Shine? What did Hazama mean by that? Hazama let out another sigh.

"You don't need to be physically strong to help, Sunshine. Your ability to reach people is your greatest skill." Kurahashi widened her eyes and her heart swelled.

Hazama always had a way with words.

"Maybe you're right," she said, more to herself than anyone. Even if she couldn't scale buildings, build weapons, or even fire a gun, she could still help. She could still be there as moral support. She could corral everyone together, help them shake off their doubt and worry. She could help them become a team again, years after Class E had separated.

She let out a shaky breath. She knew what she had to do.

* * *

Okuda Manami couldn't believe she was doing this.

She had hastily let her boss know that she had an emergency to take care of back home. Before she knew it, she was on a flight to Japan, standing in front of an apartment door, too nervous to actually knock.

Why on earth was she here? She and Nagisa weren't particularly close and she hadn't really made the effort to stay in contact with any of her former classmates either.

 _But our classroom bond runs deeper than just friendship_ , Okuda reminded herself. No one had ever said it out loud, but it was true. Their bond had been forged through trials and tribulations. They had been comrades in arms, and they had succeeded in saving the world. Even if she hadn't spoken to her old friend in a while, that was not a bond easily forgotten.

She knocked on the door twice, holding her breath. She hoped this was the right address…

Seconds ticked by, and Okuda found herself getting a little nervous. What if she _had_ gone to the wrong address? What if she had gotten the e-mail by mistake? What if they really didn't want her here? What if…

The door opened, throwing Okuda out of her train of thought. Hayami Rinka stood at the door, a friendly smile on her face.

"Manami! You made it!"

"I flew out yesterday," she said, stepping through the doorway.

"I hope your flight was alright. I know it's a long one." Okuda nodded. Long was an understatement. The flight from Baltimore to Tokyo was about twenty hours long. She was more than just a little jetlagged. It was a miracle she had found the energy to come here today.

"It was alright, the meals were decent," Okuda said. She took her shoes off, walking further into the apartment. It was nice. The décor was modern, the room spacious, and the kitchen beautiful. "Your place is lovely." It was incredible compared to her dingy apartment back in America.

"Thank you, Manami," Hayami said gracefully.

"Is anyone else here yet?"

"Just a few," she said, "Sugino is here already, as is the Yoshida family, and Sugaya. Kurahashi texted me a while ago to let me know that she and Hazama were on their way." Okuda nodded. "I think a few more people will show." Hayami took her arm and led her to their living room. "Come, we have a few snacks." Okuda nodded, nervousness bubbling itself deep in her stomach.

 _What am I doing here?_

"Okuda!" Sugaya enthusiastically greeted, "It's been a while!" It had been, she had last seen him at Hayami and Chiba's wedding a few years back.

"It has," she said, taking a seat on an armchair. She twirled her hair between her fingers, her nervous habit getting the best of her. "How've you been? What're you doing nowadays?"

"I've been alright. I'm working at a nearby theater doing costume and make-up," he said, "I hear you've been in America?" She nodded, feeling herself relax bit-by-bit. It was amazing how easy it was to talk to everyone even after being separated for so long.

"I work at a university doing biomedical research."

"That's incredible, Okuda!" Hara exclaimed, "We always knew you'd end up doing something cool." Okuda flushed at the praise. "Taisei here is a mechanic." She put her hand on his knee.

"How's your daughter?" Hara smiled fondly.

"She's a handful. She loves to get into debates. I wouldn't be surprised if she became a politician one day." Yoshida nodded.

"I hope the next one is easier," he muttered under his breath. Hara gently slapped his arm.

"I'm sure you don't mean that," she said playfully, the hint of a threat under her pleasant tone. Okuda laughed, they hadn't changed at all. They fell into light chatter as the rest of their class began to arrive. First to arrive were Kurahashi and Hazama, with a bright smile and a small scowl on their respective faces. Next were Kimura and Muramatsu (who looked more than a little confused as to what was going on). Mimura and Takebayashi followed, each bringing in a few snacks of their own. Fuwa and Yada arrived last, both blaming their jobs for keeping them late.

Just as everyone finished getting settled and greeting the people they hadn't seen in many years, the Chibas took center stage of the room. Okuda could see that though they were surprised at the turnout, a serious gleam overpowered it.

"We'll get straight to the point," Chiba said, his voice cool and low, "We need your help."

"We know where our friends are and we've asked them if they'd like an out," Hayami continued, "They unanimously said no. Not until they've killed the perpetrator. We called you all together because we'd like your help in planning the assassination."

Okuda couldn't help but think that this was probably the oddest class reunion in the history of class reunions.

"Why us? How could we be of any help? We aren't exactly up to assassination shape anymore," Yoshida asked. Okuda had to agree with him. She couldn't exactly free-run anymore. She also found herself a lot more hesitant to make dangerous concoctions, especially now that she intimately understood the kind of effects those things had on the human body.

"Because we can move around freely," Hayami answered, "The group of them, they're trapped in their hiding spot. All they can do is theorize. But we can plan, we can do any sort of set-up. What we lack in physical strength or skill, we make up in our freedom."

"What makes you so sure of their innocence anyway?" Muramatsu asked, "How do you know they're not manipulating you?"

"Because I helped them," Sugaya said, standing up, "I helped Karma and them get into the Ministry. I wasn't there myself, but despite their plans to infiltrate the Ministry, they were _expected_. The man who framed Nagisa had it out for them too." _For them too? What did he mean by that?_

"What do you mean?" Yada asked, crossing her arms. "How could anyone know that they would try to break him out?"

"The man behind everything has an extensive network of criminals. We're not sure why he was after Nagisa, nor why he decided to frame everyone. He's been controlling everything, manipulating our friends like puppets," Hayami coolly explained.

"But they found evidence of money laundering at Isogai, Kayano, and Maehara's café! It was on the _computers_ ," Takebayashi protested, "They also found plans in the apartments of all of those involved."

"Do you really believe it more likely that our old friends formed an assassination ring?" Hazama asked. Any further protests died on Takebayashi's tongue. Okuda had to agree with Hazama's assessment. They all had assassination training, that much they had in common, but they also had their own dreams and desires to move onto after their junior high experience. She had become a chemist after all. Her experiences shaped her, but they didn't define her.

"Why frame them?" Fuwa asked, raising her hand, "I mean, what'd they do? Nagisa I kind of understand, since he's probably made a lot of enemies, but Kataoka is just a school teacher. Maehara, Isogai, and Kayano were just trying to run a business!" Okuda sat back, her mind running through the possibilities. Was it someone they had angered in their past? Back when they were together in Class E?

But how would this mastermind know that these specific people would be rescuing Nagisa? They hadn't been involved with Nagisa before…

"Perhaps we don't know _everything_ about them," Yoshida muttered.

If this was in fact someone from their past, back when they were in Class E, then they would know everyone who was in that class. The evidence planted was specific to that person's life. To plant that evidence so quickly after exposure… Okuda felt a shiver go up her back.

Were they _all_ being watched?

 _Were they really going to stop at those eleven?_

She felt small and vulnerable, caught in the tides of whatever _this_ all was. Just because they were safe for now, didn't mean they'd remain safe…

"Manami?" Kurahashi said, concern in her voice.

"We're all in danger," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. The bickering in the background fell silent.

"What was that?"

"It's not just them," she said, her voice becoming more confident as she spoke, "It's not a coincidence that the evidence against our friends was in their homes, that they were framed. Someone planned that. Someone's been watching us." Her heart pounded against her chest and her hands shook. She looked up, facing her friends. "Who's to say that the mastermind will stop at Nagisa, Karma, and them? For all we know, we might be next."

The Chibas had grown pale at her words, and Okuda could see Hayami's eyes darting around, looking for evidence of cameras or microphones.

"It's not going to be hard for the police to begin to piece together that they were all in our middle school class," Kimura said, his own hands shaking at the realization, "They may already have." Okuda glanced at her friends. Takebayashi was silent, any protests had died on his lips. Kurahashi looked more than a little disturbed, and Mimura was frantically looking around the room for any evidence of surveillance.

"Who is it?" Sugino asked coldly, "Who is it we have to kill?"

Hayami's eyes settled on him. Her mouth became a thin line.

"Asano Gakushuu."

* * *

 _A/N: Ahh sorry about the delay in the chapter. Life's been crazy, but I'm in the process of planning out the nitty gritty details of the next few chapters, so those should be coming faster!_

 _Also surprise lesbians! Definitely didn't intend for it to be that gay, but here we are._


	15. Let's Go

**Chapter 15 - Let's Go**

Shiota Nagisa laid a cool cloth across a sleeping Akabane Karma's forehead. While Karma hadn't shown any signs of crashing, he couldn't be _too_ cautious. Nagisa leaned back on the mildly uncomfortable stool, letting out a light sigh. 47 whined, pressing his cold nose against Karma's limp hand. Nagisa absentmindedly stroked the dog, hoping to give it some semblance of assurance. The small dog leaned into his touch. Nagisa gave it a soft smile. It had been a while since any animal liked him.

Nagisa let out a sigh as he looked over Karma's pale face. Color hadn't entirely returned to him yet, and Nagisa imagined it'd only be then that he could relax. He rested his free hand on Karma's arm, giving it a squeeze.

"You'll be alright," he said quietly, more to himself than anyone else.

It was at these times, early in the morning, before the sun and people rose, that he could clearly think. Nagisa had been so occupied with his desire for revenge that he hadn't had time to stop and just _think_. (And if he was being honest, he was avoiding this topic more than anything…)

Karma loved him.

And he had for a while, if what Karma was saying was true.

Nagisa didn't know what to think about this revelation. He had been surprised, but that barely scratched the sea of emotions he felt. They had been close friends in high school, and he couldn't think of anytime that Karma had hinted that he thought anything more of their friendship…

 _"You know, Nagisa, I value our relationship above anything else."_

Nagisa had just thought Karma meant that he treasured their friendship. After all, Karma had told him before that he didn't have very many friends. But still…

 _"Is there anyone in class that you like?" Nagisa asked, more out of curiosity than anything. Karma hadn't really ever shown interest in anyone before, making him an oddity more than anything (Nagisa also wanted to know what poor girl had Karma's affections). Karma gave him an odd look._

 _"Why the sudden interest?"_

 _Nagisa shrugged. "Well, I mean, after Maehara and Isogai's display today, I was just sort of curious." Karma was silent for a moment, and Nagisa wondered why the hesitation. Maybe Karma did have a little crush on someone in class… There was a brief flash of contemplation on Karma's face before it was gone._

 _"No," he said, "There's no one."_

 _Nagisa could see through the lie like a window._

Nagisa groaned and buried his head into his hands. Even back then, had Karma liked him…? Was he really so blind?

 _Yes,_ a little voice in the back of his head supplied. For being the most observant person in the class, he certainly was utterly blind when it came to things that involved himself. How long had Karma kept this bottled up? How long had he wanted something more than their friendship? Had it killed him as much as knowing this was killing Nagisa right now?

47 whined again as he pawed at Karma's limp hand. Karma stirred for a moment, but his breath evened out and he fell back into his deep sleep. Nagisa smiled to himself. How many times had this same scene played out at Karma's apartment (hopefully minus the gunshot wound) before? If Nagisa had never left, would he be living in a small, barely affordable apartment? Would Karma be at his side? Would they get mutually annoyed whenever 47 would hop on their bed?

Would he be less lonely?

Nagisa brushed the hair out of Karma's face, the red contrasting sharply against his pale face. Nagisa had never been in a relationship before. He wasn't sure he _could_ be. After all, who could love a man who had killed more people than he could count on his fingers before he had turned the age of majority? Whose hands were stained redder than the very blood that flowed through them? Who thought of killing so easily and casually? Karma deserved so much better.

Nagisa's insides twisted as he stood over Karma's sleeping body. He could feel Karma's soft breaths breeze passed his skin, its warmth strangely comforting and relaxing. The beams of sunrise filtered through the cheap blinds, gently illuminating the room. Nagisa closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Karma's forehead.

 _Karma, I still don't know what I feel for you, and I know you've waited so long. But…please… just wait a little longer._

* * *

"This is incredibly illegal," Kimura groaned as he fidgeted in the passenger seat of the grocery truck. Hayami shot him a look of disbelief.

"We're planning an assassination, but stealing a _truck_ is where you draw the line, Masayoshi?" The man groaned at the reminder.

"Look, I understand the reasoning. Just…Just let me have this, okay? I gotta settle into this whole new criminal thing, okay?" Despite herself, Hayami laughed. This whole scenario was getting more and more ridiculous with each passing day. It was only going to get worse from here on out. Kimura ceased his fidgeting, finally settling into the seat. His eyes darted around. "Do you think we're being watched right now?"

"No," Hayami said, "Chiba's been keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity around the area. We're good. Asano shouldn't have any idea that we're aiding Nagisa and company."

"The fuck we do to the guy anyway?" Kimura asked, "Like, what the hell kinda grudge are you holding from middle school anyway?" Hayami shrugged. It was a question she and her husband had tossed around a few times, but it didn't matter. They needed to focus on the now, the why could come later.

Hayami saw a flash of light from their seats. She sat-up straighter and pulled a flashlight from her purse. She pointed it in the direction of the source and clicked it on and off twice. _We're clear._ No response came from the original source, but she knew that Chiba had gotten the message.

"They're coming," she announced, fastening her seatbelt. Kimura followed her lead.

"So they're really there? Nagisa and everyone?" She nodded. He snorted.

"Clever, hiding in an old detective's office. Ishigaki-senpai would have a _fit_ if he knew." Hayami held back a smile. While she never worked with him personally, Head Detective Ishigaki Jun was famous in the precinct (and probably all of Tokyo) for his antics. Kimura straightened in the seat next to hers as they watched the group slowly leave the building in groups of two. Hayami could see his eyes darting around, trying to spot any potential threats or spies. His fingers twitched, likely ready to pull out his gun if necessary. Behind them, they heard the hard aluminum creak against the heavy footsteps of their new cargo.

It was after ten _very_ long minutes that they finally heard it. Two knocks against the wall. _We're all here._ Kimura responded with three knocks. _Understood._

"Let's go," he said. Hayami nodded. The engine roared to life at Hayami's command. She shifted the gear, and the real journey began.

They were on their way to move the group of accused terrorists.

 _"So what're we gonna do next?" Fuwa asked quietly. The revelation that they were being watched shocked them, and many found it hard to keep their eyes darting around, trying to find evidence of cameras or microphones. Hayami herself felt more than a little exposed. "It's not like we've planned an assassination in a while…"_

 _"We need to talk to Nagisa and them," Sugino reasoned, "They're already planning something, right? Maybe we can like, join his plans or something." Hayami saw a few people nod._

 _"That's not a bad idea," Hara agreed, "If not, he can at least guide us."_

 _"There's one problem with that," Takebayashi cut in, "How are we going to meet them? They're Japan's most wanted right now, we can't exactly talk to them over coffee."_

 _"What about their hiding spot?" Muramatsu countered._

 _"We can't just storm into their hiding spot," Sugaya said, "They're in an abandoned office, people will notice if all of us just started waltzing in and out."_

 _The room fell into contemplative silence. Hayami was stumped. Sugaya had a point, even if they did meet the others, they could be unintentionally damning them. Moving them would be dangerous, but if they could do something to ensure their security…_

 _Kimura perked up. "Rinka, Ryou, what about Training Area 8?"_

 _Training area 8? Was Kimura seriously suggesting they go to a police-owned property? Just as she was about to protest, she stopped. Wait, wasn't there something about training area 8…?_

 _"Why there? It's a police-training facility." Chiba asked, echoing her thoughts._

 _"It's abandoned," he explained, "I was doing paperwork on it earlier. Recruits are instead going to the new facility three miles away. Training area 8 hasn't been functional for six months now. It's set to be destroyed in a month, but we should be done by then." Realization dawned on Hayami._

 _"It'll still have everything, won't it?" she said, "Shooting ranges, guns, fitness courses…"Kimura nodded._

 _"Yes," he confirmed, "The new facility has new state-of-the-art materials, and it won't be suspicious if we swipe in to use the old materials for practice."_

 _"That sounds great and all, but how the hell are we going to get Nagisa and co. from point a to point b?" Yoshida asked, crossing his arms._

 _Hayami already had a few ideas._

The people in the back of the stolen grocery truck grumbled as she made a particularly sharp turn. She knocked once against the wall. _Shut the fuck up, guys._

"God, Nagisa's really in there, isn't he?" Kimura said. Hayami cocked an eyebrow at him. What was he musing about now? "I mean, I didn't know him that well, but god, it's been like ten years."

"Yeah, it's been a while," she agreed.

"We never really even thanked him, did we?" Kimura said, the memories flooding back, "I mean, we all pitched in for that necklace Karma gave him, but we never _told_ him we were thankful." Hayami swallowed a lump as the memories flooded back.

 _Hayami screamed as the branch supporting her snapped under the power of Koro-sensei's tentacles. Tendrils of betrayal grasped her heart as she realized that he had done it on purpose. Their teacher was going all out, damning the consequences._

 _Strong arms wrapped around her waist, saving her from a particularly painful fall. She looked up at Karasuma, whose face was contorted with determination and betrayal._

 _"Are you alright?" he asked as they landed. She gave him a curt nod, though her heart still ached. The memory of their teacher was being tainted by this attack._

 _"We failed," Hayami croaked, "We missed." Chiba approached her, placing his hand on her back. She leaned into the touch._

 _"It's not your fault," Chiba assured, his voice deep and comforting. It was warm and familiar, unlike what their teacher had become._

 _"None of us could've predicted he'd get like this," Karasuma reasoned. Irina came running up behind him, staring at the destruction he had wrought. With shaking hands, she checked her watch._

 _"We have five minutes," Irina said, her voice cracking. Hayami closed her eyes. Five minutes. In just a few minutes, their lives would be over and the world destroyed. She shivered. There was so much she never got the chance to do. She would never graduate junior high, she would never grow up, she'd never even get to see her parents again. Chiba sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She let out a choked sob._

 _If only her bullet hadn't missed._

 _Karasuma had moved on, helping out some other students injured by the scale of destruction. She curled into Chiba, hoping that they somehow made it through this. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. All things considered, she had lived a good life. Falling into Class E hadn't been the death sentence that everyone had thought it would be, it had been the best year of her life. Tears fell freely down her face._

 _"It'll be alright," Irina said, although Hayami knew that her teacher was feeling just as helpless as she was._

 _Then it was quiet._

 _She tensed, waiting for the explosion. But nothing came. She hesitantly opened her eyes, wiping away the tears. She heard gasps all around her. She gave Chiba a glance, though he looked just as baffled as she felt. With an unspoken agreement, they stood up._

 _They peered over the hill, and Hayami let out a loud gasp. In the midst of the destruction was Nagisa, his knife and hands covered in blood and mucus. Koro-sensei was melting away, a grotesque parody of what he once was. She nearly puked when she realized what was happening. The shell of the octopus gave way to a human, who silently whispered something into Nagisa's ears, before that too melted away into nothing._

 _There were no cheers, nor was there the feeling of victory. They had done it. They had saved the world._

 _But no one was happy about it._

Hayami bit her lip at the memory. Even now, it still gave her such mixed feelings. Time heals, they say, but some wounds never closed. She had later found out that one of her bullets was responsible for slowing down Koro-sensei, which had in turn allowed for a secondary support team lead by Terasaka and Takebayashi to take out two more tentacles.

It didn't make her feel any better about the whole thing.

"I mean, it's a little late now to tell him thank you," Kimura rambled on, "But I guess this is the next best thing. He's always had it hard." Hayami chuckled despite herself.

"I think our friends are thinking the same thing," she said. After all, everyone had answered the call to arms, even with their initial hesitation.

They fell into a comfortable silence, even with the muffled sounds of their former classmates in the backseat. As the clock clicked to six am, they finally pulled into their destination.

As she pulled into a parking space close to the entrance, she knocked on the trailer twice, alerting the group in the back. It was time.

* * *

To say Kataoka Megu was surprised would be an understatement. She had known that Hayami and Chiba were going to reach out to some of their old classmates to help them with their dumb spur-of-the-moment decision. She _hadn't_ known or realized that they were going to reach out to _all_ of their old classmates. She also wouldn't have expected any of them to actually come out and help. Even Okuda Manami had flown all the way from the US to help.

It was surreal and heartwarming all at the same time.

She sat at what once was a break room table, surrounded by people she never thought she'd see together ever again. Next to her, Okano was chatting animatedly with Yada and Kurahashi.

"It really brings back memories," Isogai said wistfully, looking over the group. Kataoka allowed herself a smile.

"Yeah, it does," Kataoka said. The last time they had all been together like this was back in junior high. While most of them had decided to test back into Kunigigaoka High, some had moved onto technical or art schools. She knew that Itona and Okuda ended up at the same science high school (by total coincidence) and Takebayashi had gone to a high school that specialized in medicine. "It's been so long."

Isogai made a noise of agreement, "We've all changed so much." He let out a chuckle. "I almost want to go up and take roll."

"If only we had BB guns, then it could really be like old times."

But it wasn't. They were wanted criminals, whose entire lives had been uprooted. Who were now planning to assassinate someone who they had once considered a friendly rival (or maybe even a friend). Their lives were far from usual.

Kataoka was jolted out of her thoughts as Hayami and Chiba called the room to order. It was cramped with 27 people in it, but it was the biggest room in the facility that didn't have windows (or a shooting range). Takebayashi and Kanzaki were in the back, helping (finally) treat Karma's gunshot wound. 47 was plodding around the room, enjoying the attention he was getting from everyone.

"Perimeter is clear," Chiba said, walking into the room. Simultaneously, conversation died. "There are no bugs and cameras are disabled." Hayami gave him a curt nod.

"Very well. Good morning everyone, I know it wasn't easy getting here so early, but we appreciate that you all made it." Kataoka felt the determination resonating from her. She was committed, that much was obvious. "It's unfortunate that we aren't meeting under better circumstances." _That's an understatement._ Hayami pulled out a dry-erase marker from her bag. "I'm going to get straight to the point. We're going to assassinate Asano Gakushuu."

Her words rung through the room, the declaration reaching every single soul.

They were going to assassinate their old classmate.

Kataoka let out a single, shaky breath, closing her eyes. She couldn't be doubtful anymore. He had ruined her life, he had framed Nagisa. He wasn't their classmate anymore. Besides, they had killed someone who had meant far more to them before.

When she opened her eyes, she saw the faces of those who had found their resolve, those who were ready to fight again.

"Where do we begin?" Kataoka found herself asking. A few people turned their heads towards her.

Hayami smiled. "I'm glad you asked."

* * *

The creeping light of dawn filled the barren office. The morning radio droned in the background, merely static noise to the room's only occupant. He sipped his morning coffee, the bitter taste familiar and comforting. He typed on the keyboard, his eyebrow twitching as _that damn key_ stuck again. He let out a frustrated sigh, taking another sip of his coffee. Every damn morning.

"Today's high is 26 with scattered showers expected around the area."

He hit send on the e-mail, letting his department know the agenda for the day. He had about an hour to relax, eat his breakfast, and prepare for the day ahead.

Asano Gakushuu observed the city from his sky high office. People scurried across the streets, cars honked, and buses made their way. For most people, their days were only beginning. For him, it had already been a few hours. No one could say he didn't work hard.

"…and there's still no sign of the suspect Shiota Nagisa…"

 _Shiota Nagisa…_

The assassin had hidden himself well after his escape, Asano mused. He had expected the Blue Viper to be found much faster, especially since blood evidence showed that at least one member of his team was injured in his escape. He had underestimated Nagisa's connections. As to be expected of a world class assassin.

But it wouldn't be much longer. Nagisa couldn't hide forever, and Asano had his own network that would let him know the _instant_ he was spotted trying to leave the country. If they thought they could get out of this, they were _wrong._

Asano was a little disappointed, if he was being honest with himself. He would've thought that _they_ would've all come out to save their old friend. He had readied profiles and pictures for his media contact, but now they just sat on his computer, unused. Asano was proud to say that he had at least damned his old rival, which gave him some modicum of satisfaction.

He was thrown out of his musing by the soft jingle from his cell phone. The man frowned. It was his personal cell. Who was contacting him this early? _Kase Tanyu… He's my airport contact…_ A trill of excitement went up his back. Could this mean what he hoped it did?

"Hello?"

"One of the persons on your watch list went through the Narita International two days ago," a deep voice intoned. Asano felt a wave of irritation overcome himself.

" _Two_ days ago? Why wasn't I informed earlier?" he asked, his tone clipped.

"One of my subordinates had failed to mention it before our meeting this morning."

"I certainly _hope_ they will be dealt with appropriately. After all, if they're slacking on the job, that's a national security issue."

"Understood," the voice said. Asano heard the man shuffling through papers. "The person identified was Okuda Manami." The blond smiled despite himself. This was the best news he had gotten all morning.

"Thank you, I appreciate your call, Kase-kun. I'm sure there will be something good in your future."

"You're very welcome, Asano-sama." Asano ended the call, making a mental note to send a check in Kase's direction soon.

 _Okuda Manami, huh_ … What could spur her to suddenly return to Japan after working abroad for so long? Asano smirked.

Perhaps things were falling into place after all.


	16. Time To Get Started

**A/N: I wanted to get this posted just as the last chapter of AssClass is coming out. Way back when I first started this fic, I was determined to make it canon compliant, and I tried the best I could to stick with the manga twists up until I couldn't do it anymore (around 132, I think). I was going to start posting as soon as the last chapter ended. Looking back, I think I probably could've made it work, but I'm happy with where the story went. Ironically, I post the sixteenth chapter (what I had originally estimated as the last chapter when I first started writing) as 180 comes out (when I was first going to start posting this fic).**

 **Bless U AssClass I love you.**

 **Chapter 16 - Time to Get Started**

The precinct was quiet. Most of the day shift investigators and police had left for the day. A few people had shown up for their night shifts, and the dispatch room on the basement was just as busy as ever. A couple of cops lounged on the ground floor, waiting for their shift to begin, or getting a brief reprieve from the chaos that was Tokyo.

Many levels above the cool commotion of the ground floor was Kimura Masayoshi.

"Sorry to bother you right before you leave, I just need some tapes from August 12th, please," he said, flashing his ID to the clerk. It was an unnecessary gesture. She knew him very well at this point.

"Certainly," the secretary at the desk said, "I still have some work to finish up before I leave, so don't worry about it. Still working on that murder-suicide?" Kimura nodded.

"Yeah, we're inches away from a break." The woman behind the desk smiled, typing into the computer.

"I'm glad to hear it," she said pleasantly, "What time during the 12th did you want the tapes for?" Kimura glanced down at his notebook. It held coded notes for himself, Hayami, and Chiba.

"I'm looking for all tapes between 16:30 and 18:00," Kimura told her. It was during those times that the emergency calls were made to divert police away from the scene of Nagisa's crime. If they were lucky, they could dissect the calls to gather a lead for them to follow.

 _"Our first step is to take down Asano's network," Hayami said, her voice echoing against the hard steel of the room's walls. "If his network is destroyed, then his ability to move is limited. We take away his eyes and ears, and then we silence him."_

 _"This will also lessen risk for us when we make the ultimate move," Chiba continued, "Asano is much less likely to see us coming if some part of his network is stifled. Through interrogation, we might also be able to find out more about his motives and his daily habits." Kimura shivered. Depending on how loyal his followers were, that could involve some cruelty, to put it lightly._

 _"What would that involve, exactly?" Yada asked quietly, her soft voice echoing. Hayami stopped her writing, the chalk clinking against the board. She turned around._

 _"I'm not going to mince words. While capture and interrogation is ideal, it may not work out like that. Some of us may be required to kill. You're going to need to be prepared for that."_

 _Kimura glanced down at his hands, flexing them experimentally. He had a bad feeling about this. As a detective, he had minimal confrontation, not the kind of things that frontline police officers dealt with on a daily basis. He had punched, kicked, and even fought, but never killed. Not yet, anyway. Next to him, Yada shivered._

 _"Won't Asano notice his network dropping one-by-one?" Mimura asked, "If he catches on, then who knows what he'll do?"_

 _"It's unlikely that Asano is interacting with them every day," Nagisa said, speaking up for the first time, "For someone like him, who is constantly working to present himself as a hard-working salaryman, it wouldn't make sense for him to keep constant tabs on them. The distance would benefit him. I've seen it before in South American drug lords."_

 _"Even so, isn't it possible that someone would alert him that something's up? What do we do then?"_

 _"Then we move early," Chiba said, "It'll be riskier, but the last thing we need is Asano aware of the fact that we're trying to kill him." A shiver went up Kimura's spine at the thought. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In a worst case situation, it was possible that he would end up like his friends: hiding away from the police, unable to face their friends, family, and lovers ever again. Kimura was aiding those accused of treason. It was impossible to shake that kind of fact off._

 _But he knew it was necessary._

 _"Where do we begin?" Kimura asked, "We know nothing other than the fact that this network supposedly exists."_

 _"I know where we can start," Karma said, sitting forward on his chair. Kimura's eyes were drawn towards his torn shirt, which showed his bound wound. "At the time of Nagisa's assassination attempt, there were calls from all around Tokyo that diverted the police away from that area. If we can figure out who was making those calls, then we've got our guys."_

 _"What then?" Kimura pushed, "Even if we can identify the nameless voices, then what do we do?"_

 _"We capture them," Nagisa answered, "Once we get our hands on them, we interrogate."_

 _"Their phones should be useful too," Chiba added, "We may be able to make a move based on what we find on them." Kimura gulped and nodded. That was a lot easier said than done._

"All tapes?" the woman repeated, adjusting her glasses, "We have 37 calls between those times on that day. Do you need them all?"

"Yes, please."

"Do you need anything out of precinct?" Kimura blinked, thinking for a moment. He shouldn't… any cops that were diverted from the area Nagisa was arrested would've been in precinct.

"No, in precinct will be fine."

"I'll have those sent to your computer right away," she said with a nod. The woman gave him a kind smile. "I wish you the best of luck!"

"Thanks," he said kindly, "I'll let you know how it goes."

"I look forward to it," she said sweetly, the clack of her fingers against the keyboard punctuating her statement.

Kimura left, walking down the long hallway that houses the precinct's administrative and archival divisions. He let out a sigh of relief; phase one of their plan was complete. Kimura pulled his phone out, opening up his messages.

 _To: Rinka-chan_

 _I've got the tapes. Grabbing a laptop now. Meet you in five up on the 12_ _th_ _floor?_

There was no immediate response. Reception was notoriously terrible in the building, having become common complaint among the law enforcement across many different levels and departments.

"Oof!" Kimura let out a grunt as he collided with another person. He had been so focused on his phone that he hadn't seen or heard the other person coming down the hallway. Kimura rubbed his shoulder where they had made contact. His mouth dropped open at the sight before him.

"K-Kurofuji-san!" he stammered. His inattentive ass had run into the head of investigation! This was his boss's boss! Oh god, what had he done?! The dark-haired man rubbed his own shoulder and let out a chuckle. "I'm sorry!"

"No need to apologize," Kurofuji Yuichi said with a chuckle. The man rubbed where they had made contact. "You've got a strong torso, Kimura-san. Have you considered entering the frontlines?"

"I-I," Kimura stuttered. He stopped himself, taking a brief moment to calm himself _because he had just run into his boss's boss holy shit._ "I tried for a bit, sir, but it just wasn't made for me. I'm fast, but that's about it." Kimura adjusted himself so that he stood just an iota taller and straighter. "Besides, I like the thinking power that investigations require. There's something satisfying about catching a sly criminal who thinks he's gotten away with a crime." Kurofuji gave him a smile.

"That's a good answer, kid," he said, slapping Kimura on the back, "In a few years, you'll be an excellent lead." Kimura's heart pounded at the praise. He and Kurofuji hadn't had much interaction before. It was incredible to know that his name had somehow made it up the ranks and into the office of their department head. It was satisfying to know that all of Kimura's work wasn't for naught.

"Thank you, sir!" he said enthusiastically. Kurofuji gave him a nod.

"Just be careful, kid. What with these goddamn terrorists causing chaos everywhere, you gotta watch your back." Kimura's expression almost slipped, betraying the momentary fear that he felt. _If he knew that I was helping them…_ Kimura nodded.

"R-right. We'll catch them, sir, I'm sure of it. They can't keep hiding forever, not with all of Japan looking for them."

"I certainly hope so, Kimura-san," Kurofuji said quietly, "After all, we've got to protect the peace, and we've failed so far." Kimura wasn't sure what to say to that, especially knowing the truth. Kurofuji didn't seem to notice or mind his silence. The man glanced down at his watch. "This conversation was enlightening, Kimura-san, but I'm late for a meeting with Ishigaki-san and Usui-san. Have a good evening, Kimura-san, and keep working hard."

Kimura saluted. "I will, sir!" Kurofuji winked.

"And maybe put the phone away when you're walking." Kimura turned red.

"R-right!"

Kurofuji gave him another nod just as the man squeezed passed him towards a conference room at the end of the building. Kimura let out a sigh of relief. _What terrible timing!_ He glanced down at his phone.

 _1 Message from Rinka-chan_

 _Sure! Ryu-kun and I are in the Sakura Room._

Kimura nodded, heading down the stairs to the investigation department to grab his laptop. It was time to get to work.

* * *

Kurahashi Hinano sat at a small booth in the corner of a café. Hazama was next to her, flipping through her phone with cool disinterest to her surroundings. Yada sat next to Fuwa, sipping quietly on her coffee. Fuwa was furiously typing on her computer, finishing up some of her work away from the office before they got down to business.

 _"I also have two leads for you to follow," Nagisa said, standing up next to Chiba. Kurahashi marveled at how he had changed since their last meeting. His hair was long again, held back in a short ponytail. His eyes were hardened, and she was sure she could see a scar or two on his exposed arms. "When I was being interrogated, the man questioning me mentioned Asano by name, and although the other guy didn't speak, he overheard everything."_ _Karma perked up._

 _"Sakubara Mokichi and Shinozaki Kaoru," Karma interrupted._

 _"Huh?" Nagisa asked._

 _"It's the head of interrogation in the Ministry and some low-level recruit," the red-haired man explained._

 _"Head of interrogation?!" Sugino exclaimed._

 _"Yeah," Terasaka confirmed, "I looked into it. Those were the two who interrogated you."_

 _"I would focus on the second guy," Karma advised, "He talks big, but he doesn't have the bite."_

 _"He also deserves a solid punch in the face," Terasaka growled. He added under his breath, "Asshole." Kurahashi wondered what exactly this Shinozaki had done to annoy Terasaka so much._

 _"It'll be easier," Nagisa added, "The other guy is likely to have extra protection given the panic Japan is currently in. If you go for the low level guy first and he doesn't have the information you need,_ _ **then**_ _you can move up."_

 _"Kurahashi, Hazama, Yada, Fuwa," Hayami called. Kurahashi stiffened in her seat. "We're going to have you on that team."_

 _"Why us?" Yada asked._

 _"He's a boy in his mid-twenties," Hayami said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "If there's a team that could get information out of him, it's this one."_

 _"So you're going to send a team with two lesbians to seduce a guy for information?" Hazama asked dryly. Yada snickered, silently giving Hazama a fist bump. Hayami flushed, as though that hadn't even crossed her mind (it probably hadn't)._

 _"W-well, I'm sure the principles are the same!"_

 _"If you need some help, I can give you some tips for picking up guys," Isogai said, giving them a wink. Yada and Hazama laughed, and a small giggle escaped Kurahashi. Hayami recovered her thoughts, although pink dusted her cheeks._

 _"R-right, a-anyway. So you guys'll be responsible for getting to him." Kurahashi closed her eyes, thinking over Hayami's words. They would be responsible for kidnapping him. She would_ _ **actually**_ _have to_ _ **kidnap**_ _someone. Life had gotten very strange for her very fast._

"Andddd…" Fuwa said, furiously typing, "Done!" She finished her typing with a flourish and a loud clack. She closed her laptop, now ready to begin working on their game plan. Hazama sipped on her black coffee, looking decidedly unenthusiastic. None of them were particularly happy about their role in this, but they knew that it was necessary.

"So…where do we want to begin?" Yada asked, her tone low and serious.

"We should map out areas we'd expect a guy to go after work. Like bars and train stations…" Kurahashi suggested, "I mean, there's only so many places he could go right?"

"Like love hotels, brothels, and casinos," Hazama added sarcastically.

"I'm not posing as a prostitute!" Fuwa exclaimed, horrified by the possibility. She got a few odd looks from nearby patrons. Kurahashi shushed her.

"Quiet!" Kurahashi said in a hushed voice, "We're in public, Fuwa!" The patrons turned back to what they were doing, none of them, thankfully, deciding to say anything. It was a busy café, which was why they had picked this location to develop their plan. It was close to the Ministry of Defense and it would be hard for anyone to overhear them. A small child ran by holding a muffin. The whole area was popular, and it wouldn't seem out of place for a few girls to be meeting up.

"R-right," Fuwa said, flushed, "Sorry."

"What does this guy even look like?" Hazama asked, "I don't want to be searching all of Japan for one unremarkable guy."

"I looked it up last night," Fuwa said, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She flipped through the device, opening her photo gallery and turning the phone around for the rest of the group to see. It was a screenshot of a Facebook page. A man with dark hair and a round face was laughing in his profile picture. She swiped through, showing them a couple of other screenshots. A picture of him at the beach with a few friends. A selfie. Another selfie. A shot of his about me page. _Another fucking selfie._ Him at a beer tasting.

"Wait!" Kurahashi said, "Go back!" Fuwa swiped back. His smug selfie filled the screen. "One more." The about me page. Kurahashi took Fuwa's phone from out of her hand. She brought it closer to her face, reading over every word. Something had caught her eye, but what?

 _Name: Shinozaki Kaoru_

Not interesting.

 _Age: 25_

Not interesting.

 _Blood Type: A_

Not relevant.

 _Relationship Status: Single_

Not interesting, but could be useful.

 _University_ : _Toyo University_

Her eyes widened.

"We went to the same school," Kurahashi said, disbelieving. She handed the phone back to Fuwa, instead pulling out her own pink encased device. She quickly pulled up Facebook, typing in his name.

 _Shinozaki Kaoru_

 _10 mutual friends_.

Hazama was over her shoulder, her own brows furrowed.

"We had a class together," Hazama realized, "A long, long time ago, during our freshman year. It was a gen ed." Kurahashi frowned, she had probably passed him on the way to class more than once. But back then, she had been more focused on studying than making friends.

"We could use that," Yada said quietly, "If you guys went to the same university, you could probably message him and try to meet up with him."

"What kind of story could we use?" Kurahashi wondered, "I mean, we're four years out of uni by now, why on earth would I want to meet him?"

"Long lost crush? A desire to catch up? You could make something up about a friend of a friend wanting to introduce you two." Disgust curled in Kurahashi's stomach at the thought. The very idea of pretending to be interested in someone who had indirectly helped ruin her friends' lives revolted her.

"We could also try and locate him in a bar or something, and you could make something up about being in the same class years ago. I know that I barely remember uni, so I'm sure if you say you were in one of his classes he'd believe you," Fuwa suggested. Every fiber of Kurahashi's being want to say no, it recoiled at the idea of trying to meet up with this guy, but she knew she couldn't say no. She closed her eyes. Hazama squeezed her arm.

"I could do it," Hazama said, "I did after all, actually share a class with him."

"Yeah, but you declared yourself a raging lesbian at any and every point in college," Kurahashi said, "I'm sure he'd realize something's off if you messaged him." Hazama shrugged.

"True. Just thought I'd offer." Kurahashi sighed.

"Alright, I'll do it."

Her fingers hovered above the add friend button. She was about to lose her last line of defense against him: her anonymity. If he connected the dots, who knew what would happen to her? She pressed it and a small box popped up to send a message with her friend request.

 _Hey Shinozaki-kun, I know this is kind of sudden, but a friend of a friend suggested that I add you as a friend. I think we may've had a class together way back in freshman year or something, lol._

"How does this sound?" Kurahashi asked, reading the message out loud.

"Add a winky face," Yada said, "I'm pretty sure guys like that."

"Remind me again why Rinka-chan put two lesbians on this team?" Kurahashi muttered, rolling her eyes.

 _Hey Shinozaki-kun, I know this is kind of sudden, but a friend of a friend suggested that I add you as a friend. ;) I think we may've had a class together way back in freshman year or something, lol._

"Yeah! That's perfect! It's slightly suggestive!" Fuwa said enthusiastically, furiously nodding her head. Kurahashi hit send before anyone else could give their own suggestive edits.

"Come on, there's no way that'll work," Kurahashi said, "He'll probably just block me or something."

"Hinano-chan, you're a cute girl. That's all you need," Yada said. Kurahashi blushed.

"If you wanted, you could have guys wrapped around your fingers," Hazama said, leaning on her arm.

"Besides, this is the best shot we have," Fuwa said, "We could go with our original plan, but that'll be much harder and a much longer route to take. Wherever we can save time, we should." Kurahashi shrugged.

"I guess, I just feel kind of gross about it." She sipped on her smoothie, the slightly melted mango drink giving her some strange kind of comfort. "So I guess we just wait then?"

"What else can we do?" Yada said with a shrug.

"Well, if we're waiting, why don't we do something?" Kurahashi suggested, "I mean, we all took the day off of work, we may as well make something of it." There were murmurs of agreement around the table. Kurahashi slid out from the booth, allowing Hazama the room to leave. Kurahashi pressed herself against the wall as a small blond child ran passed her.

" _Tourists_ ," Hazama whispered, causing Kurahashi to giggle, "Can't they control their kids?"

"Aleksandr!" a woman's voice called. Kurahashi twisted towards the source, her eyes wide. _What?!_

"Irina-sensei!" she realized loudly. She knew that Irina and Karasuma had a child, but she hadn't actually _seen_ him before. Fuwa, Yada, and Hazama froze in place. Fuwa and Yada's eyes shot to the blonde woman, who looked incredibly irritated. She hadn't noticed the group.

"Aleksandr!" she said, catching the young boy in his tracks, "What did I say about running around in public?!" The boy flushed red, avoiding eye contact with his mother.

"Tha' I shouldn't do it," he said quietly.

"That's right, Alek," she said, leaning down so that she was at eye level with him. Kurahashi couldn't tear her eyes away. It was so bizarre to see _Bitch-sensei_ being _motherly_. Life was strange and bizarre and utterly incomprehensible. "You know what we do now?"

"Say sorry?" he said shamefully.

"That's right, Alek," she said, giving him a bop on the nose, "It's okay to be excited about things, just be mindful of others."

"Okay, mommy," he said. She stood up, pushing him towards the girls. He hobbled over to the girls. As Irina's eyes drifted away from her son, they fell on the group. Her eyes widened and jaw dropped. Completely unaware of the tension, Aleksander bowed to them. "I'm sorry!"

Kurahashi swallowed a lump in her throat, and choked out, "It's okay." _What's Irina-sensei going to think of all of this? What's she going to do if she knows? She's the wife of the Minister of Defense!_ She looked at Irina. "It's good to see you again, sensei." Irina's mouth opened as though she was going to say something, but it closed again as she thought better of it. She reached down to hold her son's hand. Kurahashi could see hesitation in her eyes.

"I think I know why you guys are here," Irina said quietly, "Meet me outside."

Kurahashi glanced back towards Hazama, Fuwa, and Yada, all of whom looked as though the last thing they wanted to do was follow her. _Is she going to stop us?_ Hazama reached out, squeezing her arm. Kurahashi let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"We can handle it," Hazama whispered, "Don't worry, Sunshine."

"Thanks, Kira," she whispered back.

Together, they followed, keeping a safe enough distance so that they could bolt if they needed to. Irina kept her gaze forward, not sparing a glance back. It was oddly reminiscent of a lesson they had learned years and years ago.

 _"Reconnaissance," Irina said, pointing towards the words written on the chalkboard, "Normally I'd leave this kind of thing to Karasuma, but what does he know anyway?" Kurahashi blinked. Such venom! What had Karasuma done this time?_

 _"We've covered reconnaissance a bit before. There's an art to seduction that allows you to get anywhere you need to be. If you play it right, you can get more information than you ever asked for out of your target. The tools I am giving you through language will help you succeed." Kurahashi sat up just a bit straighter, whenever Bitch-sensei went off the lesson plan, it was always interesting._

 _"But there's a follow-up to information gathering that I've never given you. So you've got what you've wanted out of the target, how do you get that information back to your client? It's not always easy. Once, I was stuck in a very wealthy ambassador's home. I had gathered his plans for infiltrating the country's capital to weaken their army, but I needed to get out." Bitch-sensei leaned against her desk._

 _"He, naturally, didn't think anything of me, just a drunk socialite. The perimeter was guarded, the doors were guarded, and there were cameras everywhere. How do you think I got out?" Kimura raised his hand._

 _"The window?" he suggested._

 _"The roof?" Nakamura asked. Bitch-sensei shook her head._

 _"No, no, any other guesses?"_

 _"You slaughtered your way out?" Terasaka bit, somewhat sarcastically._

 _"I walked right out," Irina said. Kurahashi blinked. "The key to infiltration and reconnaissance is acting like you belong there. As an assassin, you have to take in a lot of information at once. In an instant, you need to know your surroundings, who your target is, and where everyone else is. When I left his room, I just walked with my head held high. If anyone confronted me, I sneered at them and asked them if they knew who I was. In their hesitation, I would move on." She held up two fingers. "There are two things you need to know. One. Walk like you own the world. Two. Never look back. The_ _ **second**_ _you do that, you lose all credibility. If the cameras catch you doing that, your alibi is gone. Don't_ _ **ever**_ _look back."_

Kurahashi kept her head forward, never glancing towards the area where they had seen Irina-sensei and her son. The fact that they were leaving together was a coincidence, and nothing more. Any witnesses here could attest to that. As Irina left the café, she turned the corner, ducking into an alley. It was so swift, that had Kurahashi not been paying attention, she wouldn't have noticed. She glanced between herself and the group. She gave a soft nod. They would do it.

They followed her.

"Here, Aleksandr, play on mommy's phone," Irina said, giving her phone over to her five year old.

"Yay! Can I play Ninja versus Samurai!?" Irina looked momentarily pained.

"Sure, whatever you want, honey," she said, her voice strained, "Just let the grown-ups talk for a bit."

"Kayyyy," The kid said, already excitedly flipping through her phone. Irina winced. Apparently whatever this game was, she didn't like.

"And make sure you ask before you hit any purchase buttons!"

"Kayyyy," the kid dismissed. Kurahashi held back a giggle, apparently this kid was as much of a pain as Kurahashi would've expected.

"Irina-sensei," Fuwa greeted, "It's been a long time."

"Not that long," Irina said, "My wedding wasn't _that_ long ago." She counted the years silently on her fingers "…Right? Not that long…" She was silent for a moment before she shook her head.

"Either way, it's been awhile since we saw you," Yada interrupted. Kurahashi silently thanked her.

"Right," Irina said. As if in an instant, she stood straighter and her expression became serious. Her mouth was a thin line. Kurahashi shivered. She forgot how scary Irina could be if she willed it. "You guys are helping _him_ , aren't you?"

"That answer is going to depend on who you mean by him," Hazama said, crossing her arms.

"Nagisa," Irina said in a harsh whisper, "I met him just before everything went south at that same café." Kurahashi blinked, she hadn't known that.

"Yes," Yada said, "He was framed."

"I knew as much, Tadaomi told me," Irina said.

"Wait, Karasuma told you?" Fuwa asked, "He knew?! Wasn't there anything he could do?"

"With a case that public and that serious? Absolutely not," Irina said, shaking her head, "When a case is that public and you're in a position that powerful, you don't really have a choice." She gave them a serious look. "You know who's behind everything, don't you? Who is it?"

"Asano Gakushuu," Kurahashi said. Irina's eyes widened. "He's behind everything."

"That little shit?" she asked, immediately covering her mouth and glancing towards Aleksandr. Thankfully, he was too absorbed in his mobile game to notice that his own mother had just said a naughty word. Quieter, she continued, " _Him?_ What for?"

"We're not sure," Yada said, "But it's complicated."

"Try me."

And so they explained. They explained everything from how he had tricked Nagisa to his underworld connections. They told her how they had learned that they were being monitored, and how they had come together to try and get them out of this. How they were planning to take Asano down. By the end of everything, Irina looked more than a little contemplative.

"So you're taking down his network first?" Irina mused.

"Yes," Fuwa confirmed.

"Very smart, brats. You actually learned something during our time together." Irina became thoughtful as she thought through this information. Although the woman may've been years out of the field, Kurahashi could see the contemplation and expertise in her eyes. This wasn't the mother, wife, or teacher, Irina Karasuma. This was the assassin, Irina Jelavic.

"This Shinozaki Kaoru isn't likely that far up on the food chain," she said, "Who you're really after is Sakubara Mokichi. If there's anyone with power and direct contact with Asano, it's likely him."

"We're hoping that we can get to Sakubara through Shinozaki," Yada explained, "There's no way we could directly get into the Ministry, especially after everything."

"Or you could go directly to the source," Irina said, "As Karasuma's wife, I have visiting access to the Ministry, even in times like this." Kurahashi's eyes widened.

"You don't mean-!" Kurahashi exclaimed, "You can't!" She glanced meaningfully towards Aleksandr.

"Just because I'm out of practice doesn't mean I can't do my job!" Irina countered, "I was trained for this! I trained you brats for this!" Irina held herself tall. "I can do this, I'm the best shot you have."

Kurahashi had to admit she was right, there was no one else on their team that could get close to Sakubara. Irina was in the perfect position. Even so, that didn't make her feel right about it. Irina had given up that life. She was married, with a steady job, and a kid. It wouldn't be right to ask this of her.

"You don't have to do this," Kurahashi begged, "Think about everything you have!" Irina's eyes softened.

"You don't have to remind me," she said, "But…but Nagisa was a special pupil to me. Almost like my first kid. If there's anything I can do, I will. I…we owe it to him." She took a deep breath.

"I'll do it," she said, "I'll get whatever you need out of Sakubara." She steeled herself. "And I'll kill him."

Kurahashi shivered, Irina's intensity hadn't wavered in her years out of the field. As the woman took her phone out of her child's hand and walked away with a sway in her hip, unbeknownst to Kurahashi, her phone buzzed with a new message from Shinozaki.

It was all just beginning.

* * *

The Sakura Room was notorious in the precinct. Unlike its soft name, it was cold, unfriendly, and the last room on floor that any officer ever wanted to work or meet in. It was the only conference room on the floor that did not have a single window. The heating and cooling unit was so broken that no matter how many tax dollars went towards repairing it, the room was either too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. There was even a rumor that the room was haunted. Its only saving grace was an old, faded painting of a cherry blossom tree hanging on the far wall. No one _ever_ wanted to be in the Sakura Room.

It was perfect for them.

Kimura closed the door behind him, his work laptop tucked underneath his arm. He locked the door behind him as an extra precaution.

"Sorry, I ran into Sergeant Kurofuji on my way here," Kimura said, "Quite literally, in fact." He set the computer on the table, opening it up to the lock screen. Kimura glanced around as the device began to load the desktop. "Did you guys…?" He gestured vaguely around the room, hoping that they would understand.

"There are no bugs," Chiba confirmed, "No listening or visual devices." Kimura let out a sigh of relief. He had a bad feeling that by the time this whole situation was over, he'd have a lot of paranoia issues to work through. "Did you get the dispatch calls?"

"Yes," Kimura confirmed, opening up the server that stored his personal files. They sat in a new folder, copied from the main server. "We have 37 calls to listen to." Hayami and Chiba, ever the professionals, took this information without complaint.

"Do you also have the reports for each call included?" Hayami asked. Kimura nodded.

"It comes with the files," he said, moving the cursor over to the first file, "You ready to begin?"

The next hour went by in a flash of screaming women seeking help from attackers, panicked men reporting car accidents, and children crying about their family. They were only 3/4ths of the way through, and Kimura was already feeling emotionally drained. Chiba and Hayami were still holding up, but this wasn't easy for them either. It wasn't enjoyable hearing people in their greatest moments of desperation, anguish, and panic. The few times Kimura had to listen in on recorded dispatch calls hadn't made this time any easier than the times before it.

He opened the case file for the next dispatch call. So far nothing had given them a definitive lead. They were standard calls, and none seemed particularly out of place. They listened to the cries of a woman reporting her child being kidnapped. Kimura looked over the case details. _The call was placed at 17:01. We're getting closer to the assassination time._

 _"Please, you have to help me! They took my baby!"_ The woman cried, the static cutting in and out of her words. It was probably a cell connection. _The case wasn't resolved, no perpetrator was discovered._ He skimmed over the rest of the information, doubtful it held anything new or interesting. Just as he was about to hit play on the next one, his eye caught something unusual.

"The dispatch lasted an hour," he muttered. Hayami and Chiba looked up. Kimura noted absently that Hayami's hand rested on her belly. _She must be so worried about the future of their child, especially if we can't fix this._

"That isn't unusual," Chiba said.

"Yeah," Kimura agreed quietly. He furrowed his brows, something about this was off. _Officers Yunosuke and Koiso responded. They were at Kagurazaka before that, responding to a robbery._ Chiba and Hayami watched him, unsure if they should break his train of thought.

"Masayoshi?"

"Kagurazaka…" Kimura repeated aloud. He opened up their mapping program. "That's only a few blocks away from the Ministry…"

"Where was the woman?" Hayami asked.

"The Waseda station. It's not _that_ far off, but if the officers were occupied for an hour…"

"Then they couldn't respond," Chiba concluded. Kimura replayed the call, listening carefully. He pulled out a notebook, writing down the woman's information. A part of him strongly doubted that this was her real name and information, but it was their best shot so far.

"So we have one," Hayami said, "That's a start at least."

"Yeah, but out of how many?" Kimura muttered. He flagged the file and moved onto the next call. They listened for anything out of the ordinary, but most of the calls were irrelevant. They flagged a second call from a man reporting a serious car accident around 5:50, although reports showed that the cops couldn't find the man or the car accident by the time the cops arrived. It was dismissed as a prank. Kimura dutifully wrote down the information, although this one was appearing to be a dead end.

" _I-I just witnessed a stabbing at Tokyo Tower!_ " A heavily accented voice said. Kimura glanced at the call number. It was a foreign number. It looked to be European, based on the device's country code. " _Please hurry! A man is bleeding out!_ " Kimura's eyes scanned the file.

"It's fake," he said, "There was no one hurt by the time officers arrived, and on duty security didn't report any unusual activity. It did divert officers from the Kojimachi station to the tower. By the time they arrived, the assassination had already happened." He added the number to their suspect list.

"Can you replay that?" Chiba requested.

"Sure," Kimura said, hitting the replay button. The sound of the man blasted through the weak computer speaker.

" _Please hurry! A man is bleeding out!_ "

"Doesn't that voice sound familiar?" Chiba asked. _Familiar?_ Kimura hit replay again, trying to place the voice.

" _I-I just witnessed a stabbing at Tokyo Tower!_ "

Now that Chiba mentioned it, the voice did sound familiar. With the third replay, it was becoming obvious that the accent wasn't real. The way the man said his words was inconsistent. He was faking it. But why cover up a voice?

Unless someone could recognize it.

He played the recording for a fourth time. He closed his eyes, shutting out all other senses and distractions. _"Please hurry!_ " He mentally deconstructed the voice, peeling away accent inconsistencies and returning the voice to its original state. " _A man is bleeding out!_ "

Kimura stood up, his chair creaking against the hard wood of the floor. His face had gone white, the implications of his realization hitting him like a gunshot.

 _"After all, we've got to protect the peace, and we've failed so far."_

"That's Kurofuji," Kimura said, stepping backwards, "That's the goddamn _head of investigations._ " Hayami and Chiba slowly looked up, as the realization dawned upon them. "It makes sense, who else could divert police better than someone who has access to their locations? He was probably giving orders to Asano's other underlings the whole time."

"And he diverted that final car so that Asano could send his men in," Hayami whispered.

Kimura gulped.

So they just had to capture and interrogate the Head of Investigation.

No big deal.

* * *

Shiota Nagisa was more than a little antsy. He had been unable to keep himself still for hours and had taken to taking walks around and pacing around the abandoned police facility. He couldn't focus on anything, and his attempts to use the shooting range and indoor track had been unsuccessful.

The days of being cooped inside were getting to him. It wasn't the first time he had been stuck in a small space for an extended period of time, but that was _by will_. He had no choice in this. He was a sitting duck. Hayami, Chiba, and the others had made it a little easier. They had brought over everything they could possibly needed. They brought food, clothes, medicine, and other minor toiletries (the girls were very excited to shower again). Sugaya had even taken 47 into his possession so that the poor dog could finally see sunlight again.

Still, even with the extra space to move around and the minor luxuries, it wasn't making his days off any easier. He hated being reliant on others, being stuck here like this. It brought back bad memories of the time in his life when he couldn't control anything, when he was stuck listening to others.

When he wasn't free.

The door to the break room opened and a tired looking Kayano walked in. She stopped, surprised by the presence of another person.

"Hi, Nagisa," she greeted with a loud yawn.

"Were you sleeping?" he asked, amused.

"Look, my sleep schedule is all messed up, I'll take what I can get," she said, sitting in a chair next to him. She leaned on her arm. "Next time Hayami and Chiba are here, I'm gonna ask them to pick up coffee. This is ridiculous." Nagisa gave her a smile, hoping that his previous musing didn't show on his face. Kayano slowly blinked, as if realizing something.

"Are you alright, Nagisa?" Kayano asked. Apparently he hadn't been fast enough.

"I'm fine," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair.

"You don't look it," she said. She yawned and regarded him with surprisingly bright eyes. "You're not happy with the way things are happening, are you?"

"What gave it away? The part where I told you all to abandon me and go off on your own?" Nagisa said dryly. He was too tired to put up a pretense of politeness.

"You don't like relying on others," Kayano translated for him, "Even when we were in high school, you didn't like people doing things for you. Remember that time when we were free climbing, and you needed a hand to help you up, and you refused?" Kayano chuckled at the memory. "I just sat back and watched while Karma desperately tried to get you to budge. You were _stubborn_. You did eventually figure it out, I'll give you that at least." She laughed and the sides of Nagisa's mouth twitched upwards. "I know you're not happy about how everything turned out, but it's not bad to trust in others. Hayami, Chiba, and everyone else are all doing their best."

"It's not that I don't trust them, it's that I don't want them in danger." Kayano nodded sleepily.

"I understand how you feel, Nagisa. The last thing I want is for anyone to be in this position," she said, "But you also need understand that they aren't just doing this for you. They respect you, we all do, but they need the chance to defend themselves. Asano hasn't just targeted you, he's gone after them as well. Who knows how long it'll be before they're in danger too?"

Nagisa was silent, contemplating her words. He knew they were correct. He had heard the story many times from many different perspectives after everyone had gathered. Still, it didn't make him feel any better about the situation.

"I know," he said simply, "That doesn't make me feel any better."

"You're used to doing things on your own," Kayano said, leaning forward, "The idea of people helping you is strange to you." She stood up and took a step forward. Nagisa leaned back against his chair. "But really, at your core, you want to make sure they're safe. Your independence comes from protecting others, but there's nothing wrong with opening up to others and letting them protect you." She tapped him on the chest with the back of her hand and smiled. "Really, beneath your tough exterior you've got a heart of gold."

Nagisa's hand hovered over where Kayano's hand made contact. He let out a sigh, unsure of how to respond to that. In the end it didn't matter, because Kayano continued on, "There are a lot of people who care about you."

"Why?" he asked. His hand formed a fist, right above his heart. "Why would anyone care about me? What've I done for them? I left everyone without a second thought. I didn't even look back. I don't deserve anything." Kayano's eyes grew sympathetic. She took his fist and cupped it in her hands.

"Nagisa, we're your friends. We don't need anything from you," she said, "Our time together, as short as it may've been in middle school and high school, was enough. You're our friend."

Nagisa wanted to tell her she was wrong. That she didn't understand. That she couldn't _possibly_ understand.

"We may not be happy with how everything turned out, Nagisa, but you should understand, from the bottom of our hearts, that if we had the choice, we would do it again." She let go of his hand, taking a step back. "We don't have any regrets, and it might take a moment for our losses to heal, but we respect you." Nagisa gulped, a swell of emotion going through his body. "It wouldn't hurt to open up to us, you know. We're going to be stuck with you for a while." She winked. "Besides, I think Karma's eagerly awaiting that day." Nagisa's cheeks flushed at the reminder.

"R-right," he said. She pulled him into a hug.

"We just want you to be happy, Nagisa. Don't shut us out, okay?" Nagisa fidgeted beneath her arms, but relaxed as she tightened her grip.

"Okay," he said softly. He wasn't sure it was going to be as easy as Kayano said it would be, but he resolved to try. He wasn't giving it his all, when everyone else was. He had to have faith in them, no matter how hard it was going to be. She released him.

"Alright, Nagisa! Why don't we try our hand at the shooting range? I'm a bit out of practice and I'm meeting Nakamura there in ten!"

He just needed to have some faith.

* * *

Irina Jelavic sat against their kitchen counter, sipping a glass of red wine. Aleksandr had been put to bed hours ago. Karasuma had returned about an hour ago and was typing away on his laptop, presumably finishing up some work before he went to bed. The taste of the wine against her tongue was cheap comfort for the conversation that was about to ensue. They had never discussed her time as an assassin, besides a few drunken conversations and even fewer heart-to-hearts. Karasuma knew what he needed to know and that was all.

He didn't need to know about the scars, the fearful nights, the blood that coated her body from head to toe, the first mission at age 12. She had spent her formative years with a bloody knife in her hand and a deep-seated fear that even a loud car alarm could set off. Her present life was blessed and she loved every minute of it.

"Tadaomi, do you trust me?" she asked. A tendril of fear curled through her. It was _stupid_ and uncalled for, but there was a part of her that was terrified of the answer. The man's typing ceased as he looked up from the fluorescent screen.

"Yes," he said, "Undoubtedly." The fear settled, though her heart still pounded. "Why? Where is this coming from?" She took another sip of her wine, hoping the liquid would make this conversation easier.

"I came across some intel today," she said carefully, "In the form of Touka Yada, Kurahashi Hinano, Hazama Kirara, and Fuwa Yuzuki." Karasuma's brows furrowed, emphasizing the stress lines on his face. He would understand the implications. Slowly he shut the computer, his work forgotten for a later time. "I ran into them today at that café."

"They were together?" he repeated. Irina took a deep breath.

"Yes," she confirmed, "They're helping him." Karasuma stood up.

"They're _what?_ "

"They're helping him," she repeated, a bit firmer, "They know who's behind everything." Karasuma's eyes widened and he stopped in his place.

"Who?"

"Asano Gakushuu." Karasuma's eyes widened comically.

" _What?_ "

"That was my reaction as well," she said, "I've only heard parts of it but…but he had managed to bug and monitor the kids. He somehow knew about everything and pulled the strings from behind the curtain. He was Nagisa's original target." Karasuma stood disbelieving. "He's got a ridiculous network, potentially as big as some of the Yakuza leaders and Russian mafia leaders I've come across."

"How far does it extend?" Karasuma asked, although Irina could already see him putting the pieces together.

"As far as the Ministry of Defense," she confirmed, "They suspect the police department as well." Irina placed the wine glass on the counter, the sound of glass against marble echoing through the room. "They said that Nagisa identified two people in the Ministry who said they were working for him. Shinozaki Kaoru…"

"I don't know him," Karasuma said, racking his brain.

"They said he's pretty low level," Irina explained, "And Sakubara Mokichi."

"Sakubara?!" he exclaimed. Irina shushed him, gesturing vaguely in the direction of Aleksandr's room. Karasuma continued quieter, "You're telling me that my head of interrogation is reporting to someone else?"

"That's what Nagisa reported," she said. She regarded him seriously. "The kids are planning to assassinate Asano. But first they're taking down his network." She went quiet. Karasuma would realize what she meant.

"You're the only one who would have access to the Ministry," he stated, more for himself than anyone. Irina solemnly nodded.

"The girls have a clever plan for getting to Shinozaki…but I'm the only one who could get to Sakubara without raising suspicion." Karasuma ran his fingers through his hair. Irina stepped towards him, taking his free hand. She laced their fingers together, the touch bringing her some peace. Karasuma closed his eyes.

"What would you do?"

"I would seduce him, and when he least expects it, I'll capture him." She could feel Karasuma squeeze her hand. "And once I get the information I need out of him…I would kill him."

"You don't foresee a route where you don't have to kill," Karasuma said, more of a statement to himself than a question.

"No," Irina confirmed, "If he knows I am…was an assassin, that I'm working with Nagisa, who knows what that would mean for you? Besides…do you really want someone disloyal to you in the Ministry?" Karasuma closed his eyes.

"No," he said quietly, "But, Irina, do you want to do this? You left that life behind."

"I know," she said, "But I'll do it for them. These kids showed me what a life could be like without killing, without the threat of death hanging over your head at every moment. A life without fear. I owe it to them to ensure that can find some safety."

"Irina," he said quietly. He bumped his forehead against Irina's, an unusual display of affection for the normally stoic man.

"So, I ask you again. Do you trust me?" Karasuma kissed her forehead.

"Yes," he said, "I do."


	17. Consequences

**Chapter 17 - Consequences**

Kurahashi Hinano had never felt so nervous and uncomfortable in her life. Her floral dress fit tightly across her body, and she couldn't stop fidgeting. It was nothing like the loose clothes she wore to the zoo or the soft casualwear she wore around the house. Her heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest.

 _"Isn't this a little…ridiculous?_ " _Kurahashi wondered. Hazama took a step back, crossing her arms. Kurahashi reddened as she felt Hazama's gaze travel over her body._

 _"No, you look good, Sunshine._ "

She pulled the dress down for what felt like the millionth time and vowed to trash the thing after this – she wasn't a 20 year old going clubbing anymore! That wasn't even addressing the make-up that Yada had caked on her face before sending her here. She had a mission.

Today she was meeting Shinozaki Kaoru.

Movement at the back of the bar caught her eye, momentarily distracting her from her fidgeting. Yada and Fuwa were getting into place. The aforementioned girls shot her a thumbs up, although the encouraging gesture did nothing to calm her worries. Even the very thought of seeing the man made her stomach curl in disgust. This man had been involved in framing Nagisa. He had been involved with destroying her friends' lives. Who knows what else he had done in his life?

"Kurahashi-san?" She felt a tap on her shoulder and she jumped. It took all of her self-control not to turn around and punch the person.

"Shinozaki-kun!" she cheerfully greeted, any previous worries and doubts out of her voice. She had a part to play, and it would only be successful if she had the confidence to pull it off. "Long time no see!"

"Yeah," he said, "I can't believe I forgot all about you." Kurahashi resisted sneering. _That's because we never met!_ "You look good in that dress."

"R-really?" she stuttered. _I change my mind, I'm going to_ _ **burn**_ _this dress._ "Thank you." Shinozaki sat at the bar stool, his arm brushing hers.

"Bartender!" he called, "Two beers, please!" The man nodded, already pulling the glasses out.

"I hope you don't mind, I got here a little early so I had a couple of drinks beforehand," she said. She slowly and deliberately crossed her legs, her calf brushing his thigh. She let her shoulder droop, allowing her dress strap to slip off her shoulder.

 _Bitch-sensei stood at the front of the classroom, her demeanor serious and determined. "Ladies, while spoken language is important to the art of seduction, body language transcends languages, cultures, and words. Even without speaking, there are plenty of ways to get what you want." She popped her hip. "The body says more than words ever will." She turned around and began to write on the chalkboard. "There are techniques and advantages that only women have. In many ways, the cards are stacked in your favor. For the next hour, I'm going to teach you some of the basics."_

"It's quite alright, it's my fault for arriving a bit late, Kurahashi-san," he assured. _You were right on time, Shinozaki_. She could already see the gleam in his eyes. It was working.

"Please, call me Hinano." There was a clink as the bartender set the glasses on the bar.

"Hinano," he said, testing her name out, "You can call me Kaoru."

"Kao~ru~kun~," she teased, drawing out every syllable, "It's a nice name." She gave him a smile. "So Kaoru-kun, what've ya been up t' since we lef' college?" He puffed his chest out.

"Well, I've been working for the Ministry of Defense for the past few years in the Bureau of Defense Operations."

"Ehh?! Really? Isn't it supposed to be really hard to get a job there?" she asked, "That's incredible! You must be so smart!"

"It's no big deal, really," he dismissed, pride evident in his voice, "I mean, the exam to get the job was very easy."

"That's amazing!" she complimented again. Kurahashi hoped she was selling it. She had never been good at flirting with people. _Although_ , she thought as she eyed Shinozaki, _I don't think he's paying too much attention._ She took a sip of the beer and Shinozaki mirrored her. She kept the beer close to her lips, but no liquid passed through. The key here would be to get him to drink more than her and faster too. When he set the glass down again, she perked up. "Weren't you also an International Studies major?"

He enthusiastically nodded, "International Studies and Literature double major, actually!"

"Wow!" she exclaimed, "That's so unique! You must've done sooo much reading!" She giggled, for good measure.

"It was tough," he said, "But I made it through with an excellent record."

"It's such a shame we didn't talk at all back then!" she said. Kurahashi squeezed his arm. "Kaoru-kun, you're so interesting!" He leaned forward, pursing his lips ever so slightly. Kurahashi let go, stepping off the barstool.

"Ah, I'm going to run to the bathroom," she said, bouncing a little. His eyes wouldn't leave her. She moved forward, and he leaned expectantly towards her. She whispered, "But after that, why don't we move somewhere a little more fun?" She was halfway to the bathroom before he could say anything in response.

She shivered as she entered the bathroom.

"It going well?" Hazama asked, her eyebrow cocked. Kurahashi gagged.

"He's so pretentious! He's talked about himself the whole time! I feel so dirty about the whole thing!" Hazama patted her back.

"There, there, Sunshine. It's almost over."

"Not over soon enough," Kurahashi muttered. The blond girl took a deep breath. "Do you have the make-up?"

"I do, you ready for it?"

"Yeah," Kurahashi affirmed, "I can't imagine we'll be staying here for much longer. Are Fuwa and Yada in place?"

"Yes, they told me just a few minutes ago. You remember our rendezvous point?"

"I do," Kurahashi confirmed. Hazama passed her a small bag, one that could be very easily mistaken for a make-up bag. Kurahashi held it gingerly. "How long until it…?"

"You'll have five minutes," Hazama said, "At least, that's what Okuda said. It may take you less time to get there. You may have to distract him for a bit." Kurahashi shivered. This whole thing was disgusting her to her core. The charade couldn't be over soon enough. Hazama placed her hand over Kurahashi's.

"You can do this, Sunshine," she said softly, softer than Kurahashi had ever heard the dark girl. "It'll be over before you know it and then it'll be entirely in our ring. Okay?"

"Okay," Kurahashi said, her voice shaking. Hazama leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"When this is all over, we can go out to that sushi restaurant you like. Then we can go visit the aquarium and you can tell me about all the different fish." Hazama bumped their foreheads together. "And if you want, we can run away and pretend like none of this ever happened. I promise." Kurahashi closed her eyes. Her grip tightened on the bag.

"Alright," she said, "I'll hold you to that."

"I'd expect nothing less, Sunshine." Despite herself, Kurahashi smiled.

"Tell Fuwa and Yada to get ready."

"Good luck," Hazama said quietly, giving her one last kiss on the forehead. "I'll be right behind you." Kurahashi genuine smile fell as she reentered the bar. She forced her lips upward again, although this time it was fake and forced.

"I hope you didn't miss me, Kaoru-kun~" she sing-songed. She hopped back onto the stool, her breasts bouncing in the ill-fitting dress.

"I closed our tab, Hinano-chan," he said, "I didn't want to make us have to wait too long."

"Of course, Kaoru-kun, you're such a gentlemen." She touched the knot of his tie, loosening it bit by bit. She swallowed a lump in her throat, knowing exactly what was going to come next. She fingered the bag Hazama had given her with her other hand. "And you know how gentlemen get thanked~." She gripped his tie and pulled him in, their lips smashing together. Shinozaki eagerly reciprocated, his mouth and tongue ready for the heated kiss.

 _Of everything Bitch-sensei has taught me, her kissing is probably the most useful._

Kurahashi went at it with every technique she knew. He had to be sufficiently distracted for this to work. She used her right hand to hold his head in place as her left hand poured the contents of the bag into his beer. He pulled away once to catch his breath, but Kurahashi pulled him right back in.

 _Five….Four…_

The damn powder was taking too long to dissolve.

 _Three…Two…One…_

She finally pulled herself away, feeling even more disgusted with herself than before. Shinozaki was breathless and dazed. He was eager to leave, she could tell.

"Kaoru-kun, you should finish our beers before we leave. After all, you were kind enough to pay, we shouldn't let your money go to waste." She played with a button on his shirt.

"C'mon Hinano-chan, we should get going."

"If you finish our beers," she teased, her voice soft and sultry, "I can show you what else I can do with my tongue."

The beers went down very quickly. _Five minutes,_ she thought to kissed his cheek as the last drink went down while her fingers teased the top button of his shirt.

"Let's get going, I know exactly where we can go."

She held his hand as they exited the establishment. He got right behind her, sucking and kissing her exposed neck and shoulders. _The alley is to the right, two buildings over._ She lead him along, but it was becoming difficult: under the haze of hormones and alcohol, he was slow and thinking only about one thing.

"Oh~ That tickles!" she said, fidgeting under his mouth. _Gross gross gross gross. Someone put me out my misery!_ She looked up. _We're not that far, we can make it!_

"Hinano-chan," he whispered huskily, "You're so beautiful." She forced a giggle out. _Just one alley more!_

"You're not so bad yourself, Kaoru-kun," she flirted, placing her hand above his to keep it from travelling down any further. "Do you work out?"

"Every day, baby," he said, planting another kiss on her neck. _Only a few more steps!_ Out of the corner of her eye she frantically searched for any sign that her friends were here. _There!_ A red scarf hanging over a garbage bin, their signal. Fuwa and Yada were there. She relaxed, her back-up was here. She pulled him into the alley.

"Kaoru-kun." _Three minutes._ Their lips met and Shinozaki wasn't holding back. He fiercely kissed her, one hand ran through her strawberry blonde hair and the other traveled down her body. He let out a moan, whispering her name. _This is disgusting disgusting disgusting!_ He broke away from the wet kiss to attack her neck.

"Oof!" she cried as _he actually bit her what the hell?_ _Two more minutes!_

"Get away from her!" Kurahashi heard a familiar voice yell. Kurahashi silently thanked Hazama.

"Hmm?" Shinozaki said as he broke away from her, "What do you want, lady?" Kurahashi wrapped her arm around Shinozaki.

"Yeah, leave us alone."

"This is public property, kids could see you," Hazama said.

"So? That's their problem for being out so late," Shinozaki sneered.

"Hmm, public ordinances against exhibitionism seem to disagree with you," she said, not the least bit deterred.

"Can't you mind your own damn business?" he said, turning back to Kurahashi. He stopped, centimeters away from her lips. He stood back, his eyes narrowing. "Don't I know you from somewhere?" Kurahashi's heart sped up. _It's alright, Hinano. Even if he figures it out now. He's had the sleeping agent. Just one more minute._

"I can't imagine how," Hazama said, crossing her arms.

"I do know you," he said, letting go of Kurahashi, "You were that weird girl that was always in the library. You always said you were cursing people!" Hazama snickered.

"I suppose I was," she said, "Just as you were the pretentious asshole who thought he was _so_ unique for being an International Studies and Literature major and told literally anyone and everyone who would listen."

"Wha?" he said. He stumbled.

"Hazama, thirty seconds," Kurahashi said, feeling confident. He should be feeling very weak now.

"Very good, Sunshine, you did well."

"Wha? Whas goin' on?" he asked, his words slurring into each other. _Twenty seconds_.

"You'll find out soon enough," Hazama hissed.

He collapsed onto the ground, drool dripping from his mouth. Kurahashi dropped to her knees with him, the last hour finally catching up to her. Tears prickled her eyes. Hazama was at her side in an instant. Yada and Fuwa were already at Shinozaki, ready to move his body.

"You did well, Sunshine," Hazama whispered softly, "You did better than any of us could have." Tears flowed freely as Kurahashi buried herself into Hazama's chest. She felt so dirty and wrong and all she wanted was to go home and wrap herself in a blanket with their cat Yami.

"Kira," Kurahashi sobbed, unable to get any other words out. Hazama wrapped her arms around her.

"It's alright, Sunshine, you're safe now."

* * *

"It was good to see you too, Mom," Okuda Manami said as she gave her aging mother a hug. Her father was sitting at their dining room table, a fond smile on his face.

"It was great to see you, honey," she said, wiping away a stray tear, "We're so proud of you, you know that? Come visit us more when you get the chance."

"I will," Okuda affirmed, "We're about to reach a breakthrough and once we've hit that, I'll have more time to visit you guys." Her mother pulled her into another hug. Okuda closed her eyes, taking in the deep, familiar smell of her old household. She missed this. Her life in America was great and fun and she had made a lot of friends, but it didn't have the same kind of warmth or welcome that her old home did. "I missed you."

"We missed you too," her mother said, choking on her tears, "We love you."

"We're proud of you, Manami," her father added. Okuda smiled, her heart soaring.

 _"Honey, you don't have to leave! You could find a perfectly fine job in Japan!"_

 _"Mom, I need to," Okuda said, drying her eyes, "If I stay here, I'm never going to leave my comfort zone. I_ _ **need**_ _to do this, for myself." If the past four years in university had taught her anything, it was that she was stagnating, both personally and her mentally. She still had so much she to grow, so much more to do_

 _"But, honey, what about the job that Otsuka offered? Are you really just going to turn that down?"_

 _"I am," Okuda said firmly._

 _"Manami! You can't! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Okuda closed her eyes and took a deep breath._

 _"Mom, I know you're worried, but I'll be fine. I've already been accepted into a program in America." Her mother burst into tears; Okuda could feel her heart breaking. Her mother pulled her into a tight hug, holding on for dear life._

 _"Manami…I don't want you to leave."_

The aged face of her mother showed none of the signs of the despair she had felt when her only daughter left to study and work abroad. She had a fierce and simple pride. Okuda couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"I'm so glad to hear that," she said quietly, "I'll try and call more, okay?" Her mother's face light up.

"We'd like that," she said kindly. Okuda took a deep breath and glanced at her phone.

"Mom, it was really good to see you, but I have to head back now. I have a few other people to meet and I still need to prepare for the conference…"

"Very well, Manami. Stop by again if you have the time!"

"I'll do my best!" she assured. With a last smile and wave, her mother closed the door. For a moment, Okuda sat there, feeling out-of-place and lonely. Slowly, Okuda moved away from her childhood home, the click of her shoes loud against the aged concrete. With an audible sigh, she forged onwards, knowing that she had much bigger things to think about.

For instance, she was being followed.

She had noticed it a day after her initial meeting with Nagisa and the rest of her old classmates. It had been subtle, and were it not for her heightened paranoia following the realization that they had been watched, she was certain it would've escaped her notice. A man with dark hair and clothes always seemed like he was just out of the corner of her eye. If it wasn't the man, it was a just-out-of-place delivery truck.

She glanced back towards her house, noticing a hardwood flooring van just across the street from her parent's home. Okuda pulled out a seldom used compact mirror, pretending to fix her hair while she eyed the vehicle behind her. A different man sat in the front seat, his eyes hidden beneath sunglasses. He was unmoving. She snapped the compact shut, shoving it down in her purse and fingering a small bottle of mace that she had been given by Hayami.

Okuda had no idea who was following her, although she had a few suspicions. It could be the police, she would be foolish to dismiss the possibility. It was possible that an officer somewhere had connected her to Nagisa; it was easy enough to find if someone was willing to do the digging. She spared a glance back at the van.

But the police weren't the only group that would have an eye on her.

The full extent of Asano's network was still unknown. It was entirely possible that there was someone in his network that worked in immigration. If the information that she had returned to Japan had got back to Asano, who knew what that meant for their group? Okuda closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. _Think this through, Manami, you can't just go making assumptions._

Either way, she doubted that whoever they were would make a move so quickly her arrival in Japan, but she knew better than to let her guard down. Okuda pulled out her cell phone, pretending to make conversation with someone. They would be less likely to make a move if they thought that someone could corroborate her missing persons report. She kept an ear open for the vehicle as she made her way to the train station.

Sure enough, as she turned the corner, she could hear the rev of the engine as the person started the car. Okuda cursed her parents for living in such a suburban area; it was impossible for her to just duck into a shop or an alley. Still, she moved forward with as much grace and confidence as she could muster. She couldn't let them know that they were getting to her. If this was psychological warfare, she was going to win. If they were going to take her, she was going to fight.

She had a job to do and she wasn't about to let anyone interfere.

She was halfway down the block when the car came down the street, turning towards her and pulling into a gas station ahead of Okuda. She kept her head high and her hand gripped tightly on the bottle of pepper spray.

Okuda made it to the train station without incident, although she still felt unfamiliar eyes on her at almost every point during her journey. She, ironically, only found respite in the crowded train car, surrounded by hundreds of strangers. There was no doubt in her mind that she was still being watched, but the assurance of the crowd made the journey much less nerve-wracking.

Thankfully, the apartment she was staying in wasn't too far from the station, and less than ten minutes after off-boarding, she was in the comfort of Takebayashi's home. He had mentioned at their last gathering that he had an extra room in his apartment, normally reserved for guests or his family, and he had graciously offered her a place to stay.

"Welcome back, Okuda," he greeted, "How were your parents?"

"They were very happy to see me," she said, "They haven't changed at all." She took off her shoes, setting them to the side. She stretched her feet, rolling out any lingering soreness from the walk. "They said they were proud of me." Takebayashi was quiet. Okuda watched his expression. She knew that he had been the pariah of his family after being dropped down to Class E, even more so after he had actively rejected being moved up. He knew, perhaps better than anyone, how powerful those words were.

"I'm glad to hear that, Okuda." He pushed up his glasses. "I heard through the rumor mill that they weren't happy with you leaving."

"They forgave me not too long after I left. We've always talked a lot, but it was nice to see them in person again, you know?" He made a noise of agreement. Takebayashi shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. Okuda suspected he never had a lot of guests.

"I have some curry in the freezer if you want to heat something up," he said slowly. He shook his head. "I apologize, Okuda, I'm not a very good host. I've been busy reading through textbooks." She let out a bark of laughter.

"It's fine," she assured, "Believe me, I've encountered worse." She took a seat at the dining table, pulling a small notebook out of her purse.

 _Have you checked for wiretaps?_ Takebayashi furrowed his brow.

"I'm going to heat up the curry, do you want some?" Okuda said, standing up. Until she was sure that the apartment was free of microphones, she would act as naturally as she could. Takebayashi caught on quick.

 _I did a few days ago. Not today or yesterday_.

Okuda read the note with a frown. She stood up, making her way towards the freezer. "I'll do some cleaning while you finish your readings."

"No, you're a guest, you don't have to do that," Takebayashi said.

"Absolutely not," Okuda insisted, "I may be a guest, but you're letting me stay here last minute for free, it's the least I can do." She took out a packet of curry, putting it into the microwave. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for any potential nook and crannies that someone could maliciously plant a microphone.

Okuda pulled a broom and duster out of a coat closet She carefully swept every area of the apartment. Even as the microwave beeped and her food grew cold again, she refused to let any inch go untouched. Takebayashi watched her with discerning eyes. It was clear that he was wondering what had set off this panic.

She heard a rustle behind her as he held up a sheet of paper.

 _Shoes?_

Okuda jolted. She was going through the fourth cabinet for the third time and she hadn't even considered something so _obvious._ She pulled all shoes out of the corner, carefully inspecting them.

Her heart dropped.

On the heel of her shoe, looking like nothing more than a piece of gunk, was a small, almost microscopic device.

 _So that's how they were tracking me. When the hell did that get there?_

She took the shoe to the kitchen and carefully pried the device off with a knife. Takebayashi moved from his chair, looking over her shoulder.

Once she was certain every single inch of gunk was off, she threw the remnants into the garbage disposal, running it for a solid minute. She let out an audible sigh.

"Okuda, what was that?" Takebayashi asked.

"It looked like a tracker, although I don't know what other purposes it had," she explained, "Takebayashi, I'm being followed."

"Followed? By whom?!" Okuda closed her eyes, she knew that Takebayashi was probably thinking the same thing she was. _Is it the police?_

"I don't know," she admitted, "But we need to tread carefully." She held up one finger. "If it's the police, we're not acting suspiciously, so we should be fine." Okuda held up a second finger. "The second possibility is that Asano has caught on. And if that's the case…" Takebayashi's brows furrowed.

"If that's the case…" Okuda closed her eyes.

"Then we may need to move fast."

* * *

Kimura Masayoshi sat at his desk, his fingers moving and typing, but his mind occupied. The revelation that his boss's boss was working with the man that had killed five government officials and ruined his friends' lives was distracting. His desk, his sanctuary, felt less and less safe by the minute.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, hoping to alleviate a pounding in his head that had been constant since their revelation. After they had identified the voice, he, Hayami, and Chiba had packed up shop and headed to their home base to discuss this with the rest of their team.

 _"We're totally screwed," Kimura muttered, burying his head into his arms. Hayami and Chiba were across from him, looking just as defeated as he was feeling. Nakamura, Okano, and Kataoka sat in the room in various states of contemplation. They, too, were at a loss._

 _"Maybe take him out to a professional dinner?" Nakamura suggested._

 _"Except the only interactions I've had with him were that time in the hallway and a few water cooler conversations," Kimura dismissed. Why was it turning out like this?_

 _"We could try and get him when he's leaving the office?" Okano suggested with a small frown on her face._

 _"It wouldn't work," Hayami said, "That's when he's going to be most heavily protected, especially after the assassinations. There's no way we can get in in that short window between him leaving the office and him getting to his car."_

 _"What about the window from him leaving his car to go to his home?" Okano pushed._

 _"Where his wife, a witness, is going to be?" Hayami countered with a raised eyebrow, "That's no good either." Kimura sighed, leaning back._

 _"Well, what are our options?" he asked, "I mean, there's the short period when he leaves his office, but what else?" Nakamura pulled a beaten looking, faded marker off the white board and began to write._

 _1._ Before or after work

 _2._ At his home

 _Kimura frowned, looking over the options._

 _"Lunch?" Okano suggested, "Maybe invite him out to lunch?"_

 _3._ Lunch or Dinner

 _"Like we said, none of us are exactly in the position to do that, he just isn't someone we interact with often enough," Hayami reminded the group, "Besides, people are going to notice if he goes out to lunch and doesn't come back."_

 _"Maybe he has a mistress?" Nakamura said with a shrug, "We lure him out with her and kidnap him."_

 _"We can't assume that," Hayami shot down. Nakamura shrugged._

 _"Just throwing out ideas," she said. Under her breath, she added, "I'm putting it on the board anyway."_

 _4._ Mistress

 _"You could go into his office saying you have inside intel about the assassination," Kataoka suggested, "You mentioned he stays late, right?" Kimura sat up slowly, nodding. "Well, if you do it after hours, you could get him then."_

 _"That's not a bad idea, but we still have two problems. We've got to get him knocked out without suspicion AND we have to get him the hell out of there." Hayami let out a sigh. "It would also be nice if we could do this without him connecting it to us. He's Head of Investigations, if he knows we're involved with Nagisa, we're royally screwed."_

 _"We could let another team take over?" Okano suggested._

 _"No one else is going to be able to get close to him," Kimura reasoned, "It has to be us. I just…I just don't know how."_

"Oi! Kimura!" The aforementioned man was thrown out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he said, as though he hadn't just spent the last four hours being totally unproductive.

"We need you to check out the knife from that murder-suicide case you're working on so that the labs can look at it," Kinemasu Akio said. He was an older no-nonsense cop. Rumor had it that he had done a few years in the military before joining the force.

"Why do I have to be there?"

"Because two senior examiners are out on a crime scene, one is on vacation, and the junior examiners need supervision. Do you remember what happened with Itami-san?" Kimura winced. That had been a total disaster.

"Alright, I'll be there in a moment," he said, standing up. While it wasn't a fun job, it would honestly probably be more productive than whatever the hell he thought he was doing now. He locked his computer, stepping away from his desk with a deep breath. Kinemasu led him down the precinct to the evidence locker. They were silent, nothing but the sound of their steps and the background noise of the officers accompanying them. Kimura felt his heart speed up as he walked passed Head Investigator Kurofuji's office.

In there was a man who willingly worked for someone who had no moral compass. Someone who could manipulate the police like they were his puppets.

No big deal.

Kimura let out a breath as soon as they were a safe distance away. Kinemasu pushed open the door to evidence storage, giving the security guard and clerk a nod.

"Kimura-san! Good to see you again!" the secretary chirped, "Did those tapes from the other day help?"

 _"That's Kurofuji," Kimura said, stepping backwards, "That's the goddamn head of investigations."_

"Yes," he said with a nod, "They were helpful." He pulled out his ID, although he was sure she had already pulled up his file. "I need to check out a couple of items, EGT-46 through EGT-49." She furiously typed on her computer, scanning his ID in the process. A second clerk stood up to grab the items in question.

Kinemasu quietly introduced Kimura to the two junior examiners, a young woman just out of school and a man who had just transferred in from another precinct before excusing himself. They were ever the professionals, getting to work straight away. He didn't need to be there and they knew that. As they worked tirelessly in their examination room, Kimura just sat back and scrolled through his phone. He wished he was allowed to bring a laptop in here, then at least he could pretend to be doing something.

The hours went by as the two conducted test after test. A blood test, a fingerprint test, and other miscellaneous reports. Kimura realized about halfway through that he should probably be paying more attention, since this was essentially his case they were working on, but his thoughts were too distracting.

"I think we're done," one of them finally said, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Cool, bag everything up and I'll check it back in." They nodded, and expertly began placing everything back where it came from. There was a knock on the door.

"Kimura," the evidence clerk said, "You're being called." Kimura let out another sigh, wondering if and when he'd get the chance to go back to his desk.

"Is it urgent?"

"Yes." Kimura let out a groan, his frustration escaping him. He turned to the two examiners. "I'm trusting you two to turn those in, okay? Just let Sakura-san at the front desk know, okay?" He pulled off his apron, hanging it beside the door. "Who's calling for me anyway?"

"Kurofuji Yuichi." Kimura froze, midway through taking his gloves off. His eyes widened. The clerk laughed, mistaking his bone-numbing terror for simple fear. "Don't worry, Kimura-san, I'm sure it's nothing bad."

Kimura wasn't so sure about that.

He walked out of the evidence locker, feeling like a dead man walking. His mind was blank, having only the presence of mind to shoot Hayami a warning text. He stood in front of the office, nearly hyperventilating.

He knocked three times, hoping, _praying_ that the clerk was wrong and the head investigator actually wanted to speak with Komura Mosoyashi.

"Come in!" a voice from inside called.

 _"After all, we've got to protect the peace, and we've failed so far."_

Kimura opened the door, only now realizing that in his panic he had failed to take off his examination gloves. He gulped, feeling a lump in his throat. _I'm going to die here, aren't I? I'm going to die here and I didn't even get the chance to get someone to look after my cat!_

"Afternoon, sir," he greeted.

"Good afternoon, Kimura-san!" Kurofuji said politely, "I'm sorry for calling you in here without warning, it just completely slipped my mind." The brown-haired man shuffled some papers on his desk. "C'mon, close the door and sit down, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." _It's already too late for that._ Kimura obeyed, wondering what kind of excuse he could make to leave.

"I don't want this to take too long, I just wanted to congratulate you on your recent work with the double homicide and your spearheading the Shiota case." The man smiled. "I've seen you coming in an hour earlier than everyone every day and leaving long after the sun has set. That kind of drive is what we need in this station." If Kimura had been given this praise four days ago, he would've felt incredibly proud. Now he just felt hollow.

"Thank you, sir," he said, "I just want to bring those who commit crimes to justice."

"That's noble of you," he said sagely, "It's that kind of ideological drive that's going to bring you to the top one day." A small smile graced Kimura's face. His foot was twitching, urging him to get _far_ away from here. "I admit, I'm kind of ashamed that I don't know everyone in my department. I wish I did, because I would've brought you in here sooner." Kimura was silent, his loafers tapping against the carpet.

"Is that all, sir?" Kimura asked. Kurofuji laughed, striking fear in Kimura's heart.

"I see, I see, you want to get back to work. That's very admirable, Kimura-kun, but I'm sure you could spare a few more moments to just chat."

"R-right," Kimura stuttered.

"So, Kimura-kun, you seem to have a good relationship with the Chiba family," he said. Kimura sucked in a breath.

"Yeah, we've known each other for a while."

"They're the top snipers in the force," Kurofuji said, "Better than even some of the vets we have. They have amazing dexterity and spatial reasoning."

"They're incredible," Kimura agreed, "They were that great, even in middle school."

"Ah, you've known them that long?"

"Yes." It was a simple, easy to check fact. It would be bad if he lied now.

"I see," Kurofuji said contemplatively, "Is that also when you met Shiota Nagisa?" Kimura stiffened.

"I…I…"

"Do you really think I got to this position without being able to do basic snooping? Anyone with a brain could've connected the eight criminals to Shiota Nagisa with a simple google search." Kurofuji slammed the papers down on his desk. "So what? Were you trying to hide evidence to protect your friends? Were you a part of this from the beginning? Or, were you, as I suspect, a part of their team the whole time?" Kimura choked, trying to find his words. _No, you're wrong! You're wrong about everything! If there's anyone impeding the investigation, it's you!_

There was a knock on the door, and Kimura nearly jumped through the ceiling.

"Come in!" Kurofuji called, as if he hadn't just been accusing Kimura of high treason. The door opened, and in came one of the examiners that Kimura had been working with not even fifteen minutes ago.

"Kurofuji-sama, you called?" she asked, her voice timid.

"Yes, I believe you were told to bring the evidence?"

"Y-yes," she intoned, placing a familiar plastic bag on the man's desk. A knife, stained with dried blood. "I-I apologize sir, I thought we weren't allowed to bring evidence outside of the locker?"

"It's quite alright, Michiru-san, Kimura and I think we may've had a breakthrough, and this may be the key to it." The woman nodded, bowing slightly.

"Very well," she said, "I'm sorry, Kimura-san, I didn't have time to check it back in." Kimura felt his heart drop. _This is bad!_

"Go along, Michiru-san, I believe it's almost time for you to go home." She made a noise of agreement and bowed.

"Have a good evening, sir."

"You too."

The door closed and they were alone once more. Kurofuji hummed, knowing that Kimura was trapped.

"I saw the evidence that you and the Chibas were looking through. Very interesting, aren't they? Those calls?"

"We couldn't find anything," Kimura lied, hoping that Kurofuji would buy his bluff. It didn't work. Kurofuji held all the power here and he knew it.

"I find that very doubtful," Kurofuji said lowly, "Who would've thought? One of Tokyo's top investigators was really a terrorist all along."

"I'm not!" Kimura cried, losing his cool. Kurofuji didn't react.

"Masayoshi," he said. A shiver went up Kimura's spine. "Name changed from Justice when you were just 19. As I recall, your parents both were cops. I wonder what they'll think of this?" The man pulled a paper from his pile. "And the Chibas. Married two years ago after dating for five. Miss Rinka is expecting isn't she?" Kimura clenched his fist. "Only a few months along, not even showing yet." His grin grew malicious. "It's so easy to miscarry that early."

"How dare you!" Kimura bit through clenched teeth. Kurofuji looked satisfied. "That man you're working for is the one who killed all those people, right?! Nagisa was set-up!"

"So you admit it, you're working for Shiota," the man said coolly, looking more satisfied than he had any right to be. There was a lump in Kimura's throat and terror coursed through his veins. He had no idea how he was going to get out of this.

"And you're working for Asano Gakushuu," Kimura hissed. The brown-haired man tilted his head.

"You're not wrong," he said, "Although it's hardly the full story."

"Why work for him?!" Kimura shouted, his bottled up frustration, confusion, and anger finally overflowing and pouring out of him. "He's manipulating you! All he's doing is thinking about himself! He'd throw you away without a second thought!" Kurofuji let out a bark of laughter.

"Asano-san knows exactly what he's doing," he said, "And I support him, it's as simple as that." Kurofuji leaned back, seemingly undisturbed by Kimura's outburst. "He has a vision for this country, a vision to lead us to greatness. If my death helps us achieve that, then I have no problems dying for his cause." Kurofuji opened a drawer. "Tell me, Kimura, why work for Shiota? What does he have to offer you?"

"I'm…he's not…" Kimura struggled to find his words. A million thoughts flitted through his head, but only one stood out. One that had kept him grounded throughout this whole thing.

 _We never really even thanked him, did we?" Kimura said, the memories flooding back, "I mean, we all pitched in for that necklace Karma gave him, but we never told him we were thankful."_

"He's my friend."

"That's sweet," Kurofuji said, "I suppose we'll see what wins out today. A vision for the future or your _friendship._ " Sarcasm dripped from his voice. The investigator picked up the plastic bag, dumping the blood-stained knife on the desk. He tilted his head, his eyes crazed. Fear jolted through Kimura.

"You can't run, Masayoshi, I've made sure of it." The metal of a pistol glimmered under the bright fluorescent lights of the office. _Did he have his gun ready the whole time?_ Kimura wondered. He gulped. "Pick up the knife."

"W-why?"

"JUST DO IT!" Kurofuji shouted, clicking the safety of the gun off. Kimura slowly reached for the knife, enclosing his sweaty hand around it. _If I can disable him, I can get out of here. My hands are still gloved, they can't confirm I tried to attack him…_

"What're you going to do?" Kimura dared to ask, hoping it would buy him time. Any time. Even just a second.

"I'll be honest, Masayoshi-san. I couldn't care less that three members of my police force are working for some god-forsaken assassination group. Especially when I know that Asano-sama's plans are finally moving into action." Kimura waited, hoping for an inkling of an opening. "But his plans require Japanese trust in the establishment to shatter, and I'll happily comply."

"Comply with what?"

"Masayoshi, if it's any assurance, you _were_ one of our best cops." _Not yet, he's still too on guard…_ "But your death will be a noble one. A necessary stepping stone to a better future." _C'mon, I need something, anything!_ Kimura was frozen where he was standing, too horrified to move a muscle. The gun was level with his head.

Even as he stared down the barrel of the weapon, Kimura couldn't bring himself to move. His mind was frantic, but his body still. He would never find the opportunity to attack.

The bullet was far faster.


	18. Aftermath

A/N: Walks in five months later with a PSL hey guys what's up.

 **Chapter 18 - Aftermath**

Irina Jelavic's hips swayed walking down the poorly-lit linoleum hallway. Her heels echoed in the near-empty building. Security guards gave her a nod as she sauntered by, her skirt was a _little_ too short and just a tad bit too tight. Her blouse was nearly popping at the seams and just a little bit _too_ sheer. She waved to an officer as she passed by, showing off her perfectly manicured nails. Irina felt a sliver of satisfaction as the man _ever so slightly_ reacted.

She wasn't even supposed to be walking down the halls of the Ministry of Defense without an escort. It shouldn't matter that she was the Minister's wife, especially in the face of heightened security. But, on the other hand, _she was the Minister's wife._ No one was going to tell her no.

Especially not with this lipstick and this hair.

Her husband was in his office, fielding hundreds of questions from the media, the government, and the public regarding the current situation. He rarely had more than a minute to himself nowadays. The perfect situation for a lonely wife.

Irina ran her fingers through her hair, adjusting her outfit to look just disheveled enough. She powdered blush on, just enough to give her that intoxicated look. _The coast is clear._ She stepped forward, controlling how each foot landed on the linoleum carefully. Her destination was in sight. The office of Sakubara Mokichi. Right about now, he should be on the phone with Karasuma, discussing something that absolutely **has** to be done now. The phone call should be ending very shortly, if Karasuma was following her schedule.

She stumbled into the wall, her heels loudly clacking against the tile. She let out a bubbly giggle. Irina slammed her hand against the wall, pretending to stabilize herself.

"Oh no~ I think I may've twisted my ankle," she said, taking her heel off. She stumbled forward (and wouldn't admit that some of those were real stumbles), her hand landing on the doorknob to Sakubara's office. She twisted it, falling into the room. "Oompf!"

She rubbed her head, mussing up her perfect hair. The man stood up, concerned and somewhat confused. "Karasuma-san?" he said.

"Ohh~ How did I end up here?" she asked, swaying on her feet as she stood back up. Sakubara's brows were furrowed. Before she knew it he was at her side, helping her up. He placed her carefully into a chair.

"Karasuma-san, aren't you supposed to be with your husband?" She scowled.

"I was _going_ to surprise him. He's been working so hard, y'know? But he snuffed me like I was just some low-level employee! I'm his _wife!_ I should be more respected than that, y'know?" She ran her fingers through her hair, clearing stray strands from her face. She rubbed her eyes, smearing her mascara over her cheekbones.

"I…uh, I'm sorry, Karasuma-san?" he said, perplexed. She played with her gold hair, watching how his eyes carefully followed her fingers. _He's already falling for it, and he doesn't even know it yet._

"Our marriage is in shambles," she choked out, "I just wanted to surprise him, but he doesn't even appreciate me!" A few tears fell from her eyes, mussing up her carefully done make-up even more. Sakubara sat there awkwardly, unsure of how to act.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Karasuma-san." He sat forward. "Look, why don't I call your husband and he can help you sort yourself out." Sakubara reached for the phone, but Irina's hands were over his in an instant.

"No, no, he shouldn't see me like this," she insisted, sniffling, "I'm a hot mess and all he's going to do is scold me and tell me that I should be doing this or that." She sniffed again, rubbing her eyes. Sakubara reluctantly pulled away. He sat back awkwardly, trying to find words to comfort her. _He's inexperienced with women._ She rubbed her eyes, smearing her mascara even further. "I'm sorry you have to see me like this. I'm usually more composed than this, but after everything I haven't seen him in so long. I just want him to touch me, y'know? Kiss me, hug me, all that."

"R-right," Sakubara stuttered. Irina sat back and crossed her legs, her tight skirt inching up her thigh. "I-I'm sorry to hear that, Karasuma-san." She sniffled. "A-are you sure you don't want me to call your husband?"

"No, no, please don't do that!" she begged, wiping away a tear. "I'm so sorry you have to deal with this. I'm such a hot mess."

"Not at all, Karasuma-san," he assured, his eyes darting between her face and her exposed thighs. "I-if your husband can't see how great you are, then he must be blind."

She sniffled, "You're so sweet, Sakubara-kun. Please, call me Irina."

"Alright, Irina," he said, testing out her foreign name, "Like I was saying, you're a beautiful woman and a wonderful mother. If Karasuma-sama can't see that, then he doesn't deserve you." He held out a handkerchief. "Take this." She wiped her eyes dry, the dark mascara staining the white fabric.

"Thank you."

"Why don't you clean yourself up and go home?"

"Y-yeah," she said. Sakubara stood up, offering her a hand.

"Come on, I can escort you out." She took his hand, holding it tightly. She stumbled forward, falling into his chest. His arms wrapped around her, gently keeping her steady.

"Oof! I'm sorry," she said, not making a move to get out of his arms. She caressed his shoulders. "You're so strong," she added quietly.

"Irina-san?" The blonde woman looked into his eyes.

"You can just call me Irina," she whispered huskily. She held his head as they locked lips. Her tongue snaked into his mouth, licking and exploring him. _20 hit._ She sucked his bottom lip, stretching and biting. _40 hit_. His knees were becoming weak as he fell under her spell. _60 hit_. He weakly tried to push her away, but she was stronger and he was overcome with budding lust. _80 hit._ It was time for her to go in for the kill, her hand dragging through his hair. _100 hit. KO._ She pulled away, leaving him breathless and wanting so much more.

"I-Irina."

"Maybe I don't have to leave so soon," she said breathily. She pulled off her blazer, stepping backwards against the door.

"W-we can't. Your husband is my boss!"

"He doesn't have to know." The deadbolt clicked into place. She sauntered towards him, her hips swaying _just_ enough to catch his eye. She wrapped her arms around him, her breasts against his chest. She took his mouth, taking away the last of his hesitation. "Why don't you sit on that chair there? I have some tricks up my sleeve." He eagerly sat back on the armchair. She straddled his lap, rocking gently against him.

"I-Irina."

"I'm only getting started," she purred, leaning in closer to whisper into his ear. "Why don't you close your eyes?" He eagerly complied.

Irina stood up, the disgust palpable in her eyes. Men were so easy to break when you knew what buttons to push. She stepped away, rustling through her bag. She pulled out the one thing she needed: rope.

"Irina?" he called curiously.

"Keep your eyes closed, it's a surprise~" she sing-songed. Irina walked behind the chair, leaning over him. Her breasts pressed against his head. She let her hands roam up and down his chest a few times. He tapped his legs impatiently, clearly hoping for something quicker. "Sakubara-kun~" She took his arms, pulling them behind her. "Do you want to try something…interesting?"

"Y-yeah," he said. She tied the rope around his wrists, carefully and expertly knotting it.

"Spread your legs out," she requested, stepping back.

"O-okay."

"Trust me," she whispered breathily into his ear, "This'll be fun." She tied each leg to the chair, marveling at how easy this all was. It had been a long time since she had seen men so easily seduced by her feminine wiles. There was something about this return to her roots that thrilled her. Finally, with each leg secured to the office chair, she stood up. "Are you ready for the main event?"

"Yeah," he affirmed eagerly.

"Well then," she said, her voice lowering, "I need something from you." The knife slid easily out of her thigh holster. Before Sakubara could even blink, the blade sat against his throat.

"Wha—?!" he exclaimed, eyes shooting open.

"I need you to tell me everything you know about Asano Gakushuu."

* * *

Isogai Yuuma watched from the other side of the glass as the man – Shinozaki – slowly woke from his drug-induced slumber. Kurahashi and their team had brought him in about twelve hours ago. Whatever concoction Okuda had given them was _strong._ Perhaps it was for the best.

"What do you think Asano saw in him?" Kataoka wondered aloud.

"Easy to manipulate?" Maehara suggested, "The dude doesn't look like he has any spine to speak of. Asano probably waved some cash in front of his face and dude was kissing his feet."

"Are we even going to get anything useful from him?" Karma asked, "He probably hasn't even seen Asano."

"But even if he hasn't at least we still have a lead," Isogai reminded, "If nothing else, we have a new contact."

"Unless his direct commander is Sakubara, which is entirely possible," Kataoka said, "Hopefully Irina can get something out of him."

"Which she will," Karma said confidently, "If there's anyone that can do anything, it's a bitch." Isogai wished he shared Karma's confidence. There was a nagging doubt at the back of his mind that something would go wrong. This whole situation had given a heightened sense of paranoia and fear that he couldn't quite shake. His husband standing by his side had only given him some relief from his fitful sleep and nightmares.

Shinozaki groaned, startling the group into silence. Other than a few moans and a couple odd mumbles, he hadn't stirred as heavily as he was now. Isogai's heart pounded against his chest. It was time.

Karma opened the door, strolling in as if he wasn't a wanted criminal accused of aiding and abetting a terrorist and traitor. He sat in the dark corner of the room, unnecessarily adding drama to the whole situation. Isogai rolled his eyes.

"Drama queen," Kataoka muttered. Isogai agreed.

Shinozaki slowly stirred, his head lolling from side-to-side. Isogai vaguely wondered what the side effects of this unknown drug were. It almost looked like he had a bad hangover.

"Aoi," he muttered, his eyes fluttering opening. "Wha-?" he moaned, apparently taking stock of his situation and location for the first time. "Where am I?" Karma was silent, almost blending into the background despite his ridiculous red hair. Shinozaki attempted to move and found his body restrained by a makeshift combo of rope and chicken wire. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"He's not struggling much," Kataoka muttered.

"He's probably still groggy," Isogai said.

"Ugh," he moaned, "Not again." _Not again?!_ "Last night must've been wild. I wonder where Hinano-chan went…"

Isogai wasn't the only one dumbfounded by his reaction. Maehara's jaw had dropped and Kataoka looked very disapproving. Karma hadn't reacted in the slightest.

"Alright, Hinano-Chan!" he called, "You can let me go now! I get it!" He struggled against his bindings. "I mean, unless you wanna do some of that stuff we did last night!" Isogai raised an eyebrow. "Ugh, I guess she'll come back later." He glanced around the room, his eyes glazing over the dark corner that contained Karma. "Man, where did we end up? This doesn't look like it'd be her room…"

At least he was right on that account. They had repurposed an office near the shooting range. It had a window, but, as they discovered very early on, it had some serious blind spots. It was a perfect interrogation room.

"Man, what even happened last night…?" Shinozaki wondered aloud. "God, this whole thing is so weird."

"It wouldn't be the first weird situation you've found yourself in," Karma said, practically emerging from the shadows. Isogai was a little mad it worked so well. Shinozaki's eyes grew wide. "Isn't that right, Kaoru-kun?"

"You're-!"

"Devilishly handsome? A wanted criminal? All of the above? You wouldn't be wrong." Karma leaned forward, his face inches from Shinozaki. "But I suppose you would know all about that, wouldn't you, Kaoru-kun? After all, weren't you involved in all of this from the beginning?" His voice grew low, like a growl. "I wonder what your motives were, Kaoru-kun? Did you actually think you were doing good? Perhaps it was more than that. Perhaps you were offered something?" Karma drew closer to Shinozaki, whose face had grown more horrified with every ticking second. "Money?" Karma drew back. "Power?" He stood straight. "Sex?"

"Wha—What's going on? I thought—I thought you were on the run. How…?"

"Kurahashi Hinano is a friend of ours," he explained, sitting back, "She had you in the palm of her hands." Shinozaki's eyes were wide, his body frozen. Isogai's careful eyes watched him, taking in every detail of Shinozaki's reaction. The finger twitches, the ever-widening eyes, the way his muscles tensed beneath his clothes.

"I-I don't understand."

"You didn't do drugs, you were drugged," he said flatly. Shinozaki slowly tilted his head up to meet Karma's eyes.

"What do you want?" he whispered, his voice quivering.

"Answers, Kaoru-kun, _answers._ " Karma twirled a knife around his fingers, the blade glistening against the harsh light of the makeshift interrogation room. Shinozaki's eyes followed the blade, enamored and fearful of it. "What is your involvement with Asano Gakushuu?"

"I don't know who that is," he said quickly, "Please, I'm being honest." Karma's eyes narrowed. The blade of the knife glinted in the light as it slowed in Karma's fingers.

"You wouldn't be lying to me, would you?" Karma asked, his voice harsh in the quiet of the room. Isogai held his breath and their side of the glass stilled.

"No! I swear! I don't know who that is! Please don't hurt me!" Shinozaki begged, his voice shrill and panicked. His bound feet desperately pushed against the floor, trying to get as far away from the knife as he could. Karma looked contemplative for a moment, his eyes narrowed.

The knife moved in an instant, swiping against the tender skin of his cheek. Blood trickled down his cheeks, contrasting against his already pale skin. He let out a strangled scream. Isogai had to avert his eyes, the sight becoming too much for him. Maehara's hand fell on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. Yet Isogai couldn't bring himself to relax.

"I swear! I don't know anything! I only worked for Sakubara!"

"You're lying," Karma accused.

"I'm not! I swear!"

"Do you know how much blood a human can lose before they fall unconscious?" Karma's malicious grin made the man squirm in his seat. "I know I certainly don't." Shinozaki let out another strangled cry as the knife swiped against his arm.

"Look," Kataoka whispered, "Karma's not doing so well." Isogai drew his eyes back to the disturbing scene. He looked closer. Sweat was dripping down Karma's forehead and behind his malicious mask were pleading eyes. Karma was banking on this ending soon.

"Shit," Maehara swore, "I knew we shouldn't have let him go in. He can't handle this." Isogai's eyes flickered to the spot where he knew Karma's bullet wound lay. Was it under too much strain? Would he start bleeding again? There was no way he was even remotely healed by now. A dark realization pulled at Isogai's heart.

One of them would have to step in if he didn't break soon.

It couldn't be Nagisa. He was too busy tending to something else.

"Who else could've done this?" Okano reasoned, "He's the only one with the constitution for this kind of thing." Isogai could see the worry in her eyes. She knew that the situation was going south and fast.

"I swear! I-I'm telling the truth!" Karma's legs wobbled beneath him.

Isogai's mind worked frantically, weighing the situation. If Karma collapsed, or showed weakness, it could be Shinozaki's opportunity to attempt escape (he wouldn't be able to get out, that much was obvious), and it would make everything just that much harder for them. Someone needed to step in before Shinozaki's fear of them was lost.

"He's playin' us like fools," Terasaka growled, clenching his fists.

"What do you mean?" Okano asked.

"Look at him. He knows somethin', watch his face whenever Karma turns around."

And so Isogai did. He looked with eyes sharper and clearer than they had ever been. With every tease, swipe and movement, Shinozaki appeared earnest and fearful. But as Karma drew back, Isogai could see the hint of a smile dust Shinozaki's lips. Isogai went cold.

Did he really just think this was a game?

Indignant, cold fury filled Isogai's heart. Memories of that which he had lost flashed in his mind's eye. _How dare he?_ Isogai focused on the scene before him, as Karma weakened with every ongoing minute. Someone had to do something.

Isogai scanned the small crowd watching the proceedings. Kataoka couldn't do it, she'd lose herself before he broke. Maehara could put up an act, but his heart was too kind to be effective. Okano was a likely candidate, but was hardly an intimidating figure. Maybe Kayano? But she was across the building. Terasaka had no subtlety. Okajima would just make a fool of himself and Itona had been disconnected from everything lately. Isogai closed his eyes, a strange calm overcoming him as the process of elimination illuminated his way.

"I'm going in," Isogai declared. Four faces turned towards him.

"Yuuma?" Maehara questioned quietly, his hand squeezing his husband's shoulder.

"We don't have time to let this keep going." He gestured to Karma. "He's hiding it well, but he's becoming worse and worse by the second." Karma's steady arm was beginning to shake. He needed to leave and soon. _Okuda and Takebayashi would be angry if they saw Karma going against their direct orders to rest_ , Isogai thought wryly. "He shouldn't stay in there much longer."

"Do you think you can handle it?" Kataoka asked, concern flashing her in eyes. Isogai closed his eyes.

"I don't know," he admitted, "But I'm going to try." He pulled away from his husband's touch, hoping that the lingering warmth would give him strength.

Out of eyeshot of everyone, Isogai took a deep breath. He did his best to tame his hair, which had become wild in days they had spent on the run. His eye bags sat prominently against his pale skin. _Wow_ , Isogai thought to himself. _I really look like a criminal._

He pushed the door to the room open, his resolve strong. Karma turned towards him, surprised.

"Isogai."

"Karma," Isogai greeted, "Why don't you let me speak with our guest?" Karma stood up.

"Very well," he said, offering Isogai the bloodied knife. Isogai took it silently, internally reeling as the warm blood dripped onto his hands. Karma closed the door behind him, leaving nothing but Isogai and the strained cries of the man in front of them. Isogai took a seat across from him, his mind racing to think of what he should do. Shinozaki was taking deep breaths, trying to will away the pain.

Although Shinozaki faced the ground, Isogai could still see a hint of that infuriating smile that hid what he really knew. Isogai observed him, every single movement and every single strangled breath.

"Who…who are you?" Shinozaki asked, "Please…please! I don't know anything! Let me go and I won't tell anyone what happened!"

Isogai crossed his legs, intertwining his fingers as he leaned forward. The words were out of his mouth before he could even think.

"Does your wife know you're cheating on her?" Shinozaki froze, his mouth agape.

"W-What the hell are you talking about? I'm not seeing anyone, let alone _married_."

"That's interesting," Isogai said, "Given that you have a tan line on your left hand that perfectly mimics a wedding ring." Shinozaki was frozen, his eyes glancing down at his left hand. "It's almost as if it hasn't worn off from a vacation you took not too long ago. It's almost as if you've failed to update your online profile so that people, just like my colleague Kurahashi, can contact you like she did."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Aoi is her name, isn't it?" Shinozaki was silent, but his eyes widened. Isogai felt a strange satisfaction that his guess was correct. When he had come in, they had speculated on why he was whispering about colors, but if it were a name… "We found it odd you were whispering her name when we dragged you in. Some hidden guilt there?"

"S-she's not..."

"Let me explain your situation to you, Shinozaki-kun," Isogai interrupted, "Right now you are in an isolated part of Japan, far from any phones, computers or televisions. Your lovely wife is probably incredibly worried about you, but no police or military is going to find you, we can assure you of this." Isogai paused, allowing his words to sink in. "What my colleague failed to disclose is that you aren't the only one we have here. Shortly, your superior, Sakubara is going to be joining us." Isogai twirled the bloodied knife that Karma gave him in his fingers. Shinozaki carefully watched every movement. Isogai slammed the knife onto the table.

"I don't need this, Shinozaki. You know why? Because I'm going to give you an out. You give me the information I need and you'll walk. Your wife will know nothing of your infidelity, you will simply be returning from a long business trip. You will return to your life like nothing ever happened." Isogai sat forward. "If you don't, then you will die here and your body will be found rotting in a bog." He lowered his voice, enunciating each and every word. "We will get the information we need. Make no mistake about that."

Isogai stood up, the scrape of the chair against the concrete echoing in the silent room. "This offer is only good once, I hope for your sake you make the right choice."

His shoes clacked against the ground as he turned towards the door. Isogai's clenched fist loosened as the weight of the situation hit him. His resolve stood strong, even as his hand trembled. As his fingers touched the doorknob, there was a cry behind him.

"W-wait!" Isogai stilled, turning around. Shinozaki couldn't hold his head up, although it was clear he had been defeated. "I'll tell you everything I know." Isogai pulled together his rapidly deteriorating cruel persona.

"Who do you work for?"

"Officially, Sakubara. But…" Shinozaki went quiet as he fought to find his words, "But…I've caught…glimpses. And I've overheard names." Isogai stood still, not daring to make a move, lest he break the mood.

"Names? What names?"

"I've heard Asano named, but only a few times. I didn't even know he was the top man." Isogai let out a breath, this confirmed at least one of their theories. Asano hid behind his network, allowing them to work mostly autonomously.

"And the other names?" he asked harshly.

"I've only heard it a few times, so I can't quite remember, but it was something like Akira…Arata…Atushi?"

"Araki?" Isogai prompted, breathless. Long forgotten high school memories flashed in his mind's eye. Memories of hard-fought bets and tests. Competing for the top score in social studies across the third year middle schoolers. Tense passings in the hallway.

"That's it," Shinozaki confirmed weakly, "That's him. Sakubara speaks with him frequently, that much I know. I don't know what they talk about or what they do, but I know they meet."

"Are there any other names?" Isogai asked, "You said that you knew a few."

"Sho, I think it is, or Shi?"

"Seo?" An arrogant young man came to mind, one that had been determined to take the top spot in English. Behind the door, Isogai wondered how his husband was feeling. Seo had made a point to humiliate him in their youth.

"Yes. That's all I know. Please."

"What has Sakubara made you do?"

"He only recruited me a few months ago. I've only been passing him information about new members of the Ministry and low-level classified secrets. I don't know what he's been doing with them."

"What kind of secrets?" Isogai pressed, "This will be my last question and we will let you go. I promise." Shinozaki gulped.

"Stuff about when diplomats are in town and their security details. Whenever I can get my hands on policy decisions, I also give him them. That's all I do, I promise." Isogai stared at him for a long moment. He was certain that Shinozaki was holding back something, but he doubted it mattered. They had gotten the information they needed.

Araki Teppei and Seo Tomoya. Two of the five virtuosos.

Isogai wished he could say that he was surprised.

"Thank you, Shinozaki-san," Isogai said, giving the man one last look back, "Someone will be with you shortly."

He pulled at the door, his persona cracking with every inch. He felt tired and ready to collapse. Those twenty minutes had drained him of his energy. As soon as the door behind him closed, strong arms wrapped around him.

"Yuuma, _holy shit_ ," Maehara said, "That was _amazing._ " Isogai pulled Maehara's lips onto his, the familiar gesture comforting and energizing.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Okano said, "We got exactly what we needed!"

"I'm impressed," Karma agreed coolly.

"I'm a little turned on," Maehara added. Isogai let out a bark of laughter.

"We can save that for later," he joked, pulling away from his husband and intertwining their fingers. "So what do we do now?" Karma had an odd look on his face.

"Why don't you go let Nagisa and them know?" he suggested, "And I'll take care of some last minute business over here." Isogai nodded, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

As they walked away together, with Maehara rubbing reassuring circles on the top of his hand and Kataoka making light conversation, Isogai couldn't take his mind off of what was happening.

If Karma's suspicious activity didn't confirm it, the gunshot and the strangled scream did.

* * *

"Kimura Masayoshi is dead," Nagisa muttered under his breath for what felt like the 100th time. Hayami's heart panged for him, even when her own was engulfed in sadness. Chiba was next to her, holding her close like he could lose her at any moment. The others were silent, unable to speak.

She had been close, and the sound of the gunshot was seared into her mind.

 _The gunshot echoed through the precinct._

 _Investigators, administrators and officers alike were on their feet in a moment, the worst thoughts already crossing their minds. Hayami was frozen, shock and realization slamming her all at once._

 _ **That came from Kurofuji's office.**_

 _With that single thought in her mind, she was the first to move. Even her husband, who wasn't far away, hadn't escaped his shock yet. Her heavy legs carried her to the office, the sound of feet pounding against the linoleum followed closely behind as officers regained memory of their training._

 _Hayami grew colder as she drew closer. The bullet had gone through the wooden door, leaving a clear bullethole. Drops of blood dripped down from the hole, created from the sheer force of the exit wound._

 _It ended up not being her who opened the door, but a fellow officer of the law coming to investigate. It was her, however, who saw the body of her friend and colleague, limp and disfigured on the ground like a ragdoll. It was her who saw the pool of blood beneath his blown away head._

 _It was her who looked directly into the eyes of the man who had murdered her friend and saw someone who_ knew _what he had done and who knew_ who _she was._

 _She had never felt so lost before._

A choked sob burst from Kurahashi's mouth as her fragile and worn spirit finally broke under the news. Hayami closed her eyes, hoping to keep away the tears that threatened to run down her face. She hadn't had time to mourn, ever since she locked eyes with Kurofuji, she had her feet to the ground.

But here, in the quiet of perhaps the only true safe space she knew, her emotions threatened to overcome her. Chiba's hand on her waist was comforting and familiar.

The silence was thick and palpable as people fell into shock and mourning. If the whole fugitive thing hadn't made the situation feel real, _this_ certainly did. It was one thing to cling to hope while on the run and in a safe house, it was another to know that your friend was in a morgue somewhere because you had pissed off the wrong people.

"He's dead," Nagisa repeated, his eyes cloudy and unfocused. Hayami's heart panged for him. All of his years working in assassination had left him lonely. She knew how damaging it was to work in such a stressful environment for long periods of time. He must've thought about death—his death—almost every day. No matter how noble the cause, his "career" wasn't the kind that left people mentally stable. Even veteran police officers needed help sometimes.

She was doubtful he had any support systems in his life. Somehow, that thought only saddened her more.

"Nagisa —" Kayano started, but his movement silenced her.

"No, Kaede, let me say this." She frowned, but sat back nonetheless. "In my line of work, people die all the time." Heads slowly turned up towards him. "I've attended the funerals of people who I have worked with, for those that are lucky enough to get a funeral. But…that never makes it easier. Knowing that they lived in the darkest parts of society, fighting for even just a second to make their lives easier. Knowing that I would probably be next." Kataoka reached out and squeezed his hand. He flinched at the contact, but slowly relaxed into the touch. Nagisa bowed his head.

"If…if he hadn't become involved with me," he started.

"Don't," Nakamura said firmly, "Don't play with what-ifs, Nagisa. That only leads to a spiral."

"He helped of his own free will," Isogai continued, quietly, "As did we. We knew the potential consequences walking into this. You shouldn't beat yourself up about this."

"This isn't about you," Karma said harshly. Nagisa flinched at the implied accusation. Hayami was surprised, she hadn't thought that Karma would be willing to snap at Nagisa like that. "Kimura is dead, and yes, he's dead because he was working with you. But he's an adult who wanted to help you, even knowing the consequences. The least you can do is honor his memory." Nagisa looked as though he had been slapped.

Hayami wondered if anyone had talked back to him like that in the past eight years.

Nagisa closed his eyes, soaking in Karma's words. Finally, he spoke, "You're right. I'm sorry, everyone, I was being selfish." Nagisa stood up. "Kimura was a good guy, and he doesn't deserve his memory to be tarnished." He took a deep breath. "It's not easy, but we need to remember Kimura as he was. A good guy, with a great heart." Hayami stood a bit straighter as Nagisa stood up. His tear stained face stood bright. "I know we don't have drinks, but let's make a toast. To Kimura Masayoshi!"

"To Kimura Masayoshi!" the room chorused.

Even in the absence of drinks, a proper speech and a proper occasion, Hayami couldn't help but feel that Kimura couldn't have had a better send-off. They couldn't dwell. They needed to keep moving forward.

* * *

Hey guys, sorry about the total radio silence for a few months. Without going in too much detail, not long after I posted the last chapter, I had to suddenly move and I had a crazy busy summer. Things are calming down now and I should have more time to devote to this fic. Don't worry, I fully intend to finish this fic.


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